Mark of Cain
by Kaiser Wilhelm
Summary: When Garth was only a baby, his purple eyes got him exiled. Now, those same eyes will cause him more pain than he can even imagine. His only chance for survival lies in the Titans West and a certain archer, whom he can't seem to keep his eyes off.
1. Prologue: SOS

***My first **_**Teen Titans**_** fic! Are you guys as excited as me?! Probably not. Well, anyway, I LOVE this pairing (by which I mean SpeedyxAqualad, of course). Most of the decent **_**Teen Titans**_** pairings are hetero, just like most Superheroes are straight, so I decided to mix it up a bit. Anyway, first of all, I'd like to bring back the Roy that hits on everything that moves, but unfortunately, it doesn't really work with this fic, so I guess it'll just have to wait. This is also a mix of the animated show with the comic, so it's going to be a bit odd. It takes place in the animated show universe, but it's got a few comic elements to it, like the use of first names. I'm planning on updating once a week (probably the weekend), but there will be variations. For example, if I have a college app due that weekend, I probably won't update, but if it's winter break, you might get several updates in one week. Yeah, have fun with that. I'm thinking it'll also be a medium-sized fic. Most of my other fics are either epics (meaning I'll never finish it), or oneshots, so this is my first time trying to wrap it up in ten or so chapters (knowing me, it'll probably go past that). And it's LOOSELY based on something that happened to Garth in the comics, VERY LOOSELY (so please no reviews that say, "Uh, Kaiser, I dunno what comic you were reading, but I'm pretty sure that's NOT what happened during the Imperiex wars. " Reviews like that will only lead to me crying about how much I hate the Superman continuity, legit, in other words, me going, "It's just so long!! Sob! And SO convoluted!! I tried! I really did, but it's just so confusing!!! Sob!! Waaaah!!" And no one wants that). So...there you have it. Well, I'm hoping this'll work out! Wish me luck. Oh, and, for more on my rants on the Superman continuity, feel free to message me. I've got plenty of 'em. ;)**

**Disclaimer: "If I speak, I am condemned; if I stay silent, I am damned." –"Who am I?," **_**Les Miserables**_** (P.S. I don't own **_**Teen Titans**_** or any pop culture references that I may or may not reference in this fanfic). **

**A Couple Notes: Dick Grayson is Robin, Koriand'r (or Kory) refers to Starfire, Victor Stone (or Vic) is Cyborg, Garfield Logan (or Gar) is Beast Boy, Roy Harper is Speedy, Garth is Aqualad, and Karen Beecher is Bumblebee. I'm assuming that you know Bruce refers to Batman, and if you didn't…well, now you do. Also, I mention the name Jason Todd, just a reference to the second Robin. Dick Grayson is the one we all know and love. **

**Prologue: S.O.S.**

The day had ended hours ago. It was well past midnight into the ungodly hours of the morning. Any normal teenager would be fast asleep by now, hoping to not have to return to school in the morning, but Dick Grayson, better known as Robin, was far from a normal teenager.

The boy wonder had a bad feeling. It was his instincts crying out that something was desperately wrong. This feeling had been plaguing him all week, peaking that night. It had been a quiet week, far too quiet for comfort. Usually, by Thursday night, some semblance of crime had appeared on the Titans' radar. Something. But not this week, not even the Amazing Mumbo or Dr. Light made themselves known. Nothing. And Robin knew that something was off.

He spent that entire night scouring reports, hoping to find some form of clue to this mysterious downturn in the crime rate. There had to be _something_.

With a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose. Years of work with Bruce had taught him the wonders of insomnia, and he was certainly no stranger to his personal obsession with his work; still, he could not help but to feel exhausted as he looked over one of the more recent files for the sixtieth time. Perhaps it was time for bed, or even just a break. With that thought, Robin stood. His brows furrowed as he took a step away from the desk. He turned towards the files, face wrought with indecision. With another frustrated sigh, he returned to his workplace. Jason Todd may have been able to give up on a suspicious. Hell, Bruce might even have been able to, but not Dick Grayson. Never Dick Grayson. He continued his work.

Dick may have sat in that chair, unmoving for hours more, if it was not for the pounding on the hulking metal door leading into Titans' Tower. Robin jumped at the sudden noise. Who would be knocking at this unbelievable hour? It could not be some form of attacker, as no villain in their right mind would bother knocking. The person had to be friendly, or at least law-abiding. Then, who? Dick stood, deciding that the only way to truly know would be to open the door and see for himself.

Nodding to himself, the masked boy made his way from his room to the main entrance. Throughout his entire journey downwards, the knocking never once ceased. It was beginning to grate on his nerves. However, the noise began to take on more serious implications as Robin drew nearer to the door, for the knocking was now accompanied by a voice.

"Hello? Hello! Is anyone there? Please!" it shouted frantically. "_Someone help! Please! Starfire? Cyborg? Robin!! Help!_" Robin did not recognize the voice, but the way it screamed his name made him sprint to the door. He quickly punched in the correct security codes before finally opening the door. Unable to stop himself, he gasped at the sight that he was met with.

Roy Harper, also known as Speedy of Titans East, was before him, barely standing. His body was shaking something awful. His mask had been stripped away revealing panicking bright green eyes. The red suit he was known for was in tatters. He was bloody and bruised on every inch of visible skin; a particularly nasty wound on his head oozed out what looked like pints of blood. However, instead of his choice weapon and quiver, Aqualad was draped over his shoulders, unconscious, and apparently worse for wear (though Dick could not really tell for sure, as most of his body was blocked by Speedy).

Roy did not even have to say a word before the masked boy in front of him whipped out his communicator. "Titans, trouble! Come to the main hall _immediately_."

Robin did not even have time to blink before Speedy collapsed onto his knees. The former rushed over, helping the other to the ground. The redhead ended up with his back to the doorframe and Aqualad in his arms. His shaking had not subsided.

"Oh God, Roy! What happened? And Garth! Jesus!"

"A-a-attacked," the archer managed to stammer out, "at the T-tower…got s-s-separated…wanted…Garth." At the sound of his own teammate's name, Roy seemed to gain a burst of energy. "Garth! Where is he?! Did they get him? No!" Robin struggled to keep Roy seated as a sort of madness came over the redhead.

"Roy! Calm down! Garth's here. Garth's right here. He's safe; you have him." At this, Speedy seemed to calm. Still, his breathing quickened, and his shaking only seemed to worsen. His body slumped over, his weight now entirely on Dick. "Roy, stay with me. Come on. Here…where're the others?" Speedy's eyes widened as he pushed Robin off of him.

"No!! Karen!" he cried hysterically. "We have to—Mas! Menos!! No! Leave them out of this!!" Robin tried to push Roy back down lest the other hurt himself even more, but Roy struggled frantically against him, thinking he was once more facing the enemy. "Garth! _Garth!_ Let me go!! I have to—NO! No! Please, not Karen!!" It was this sight that the other four Titans walked in on.

"Wha's goin' on-" began Beast Boy sleepily before his eyes widened, and he stopped short.

"Vic! Kory!" Robin shouted through gritted teeth as he struggled to hold down Speedy. "Help me restrain him!" Cyborg and Starfire moved to help, but before they could take a step forward, Speedy's wounded body finally gave out on him, and he fainted. Dick grimaced as he turned back to his team. "Let's get them checked out," he sighed out. "Raven, you'll probably need to heal them."

"What do you think happened to our friends?" asked Starfire, voice dripping with concern.

"Nothing good," was Robin's cryptic answer, but in reality, it was the only one he had.

It was going to be a long night.

***And there you have it! Sorry it was so short, but you know, stand-alone prologues and all that. Well, the next chapter should be up around this time next week. Thanks so much for reading! You guys are the best! Well, see you next time around. **


	2. Black Tuesday

***Thus, chapter 1!!! Woo!! Yeah, so, time for my little anecdote to kick off the chapter. I'm in AP Great Books, right. But, my teacher is really quirky (understatement of the century), so everyone in the class has a nickname. Mine was the Titanium Shorty, because in class once, I said I'd like to have the power to shrug off pain, so people could just break chairs over me. While Markham (my teacher) nearly nerdgasmed right there, and he was like, "OMG!!! LIKE WOLVERINE!! That shall be your new nickname!" My best friend turns to him and says, "Shyeah, more like the Titanium Shorty." Alas, my short stature (five foot one) has kept me from the most bamf nickname ever. Now, since I got mono, I've ceased to be the Titanium Shorty because Markham arbitrarily decided that nothing made of titanium can get mono, so I'm now the Tin Shorty (my response to this of course was, "If I only had a heart?") Anyway, to the point. There's a kid in my class named Gautam (pronounced Goh-thum). Sound familiar? Yeah, that fortunate name has earned him the most bamf nickname in the class: The Dark Knight. AP Great Books never ceases to entertain me. You should definitely take it if your school offers it. Well, one more thing before we start. I'd like to thank my lovely reviewers (****guardyanangel**** and ****Bizerko-Kittykins****). You spin me round, right round, like a record baby, right round round round! Marry me! Okay…maybe we should take in dinner and a show first. **

**Disclaimer: "I know this is no place for me; still, I would rather be with you."—"Upon These Stones (Building the Barricade)," **_**Les Miserables**_** (P.S. I don't own **_**Teen Titans**_** or any pop culture references that I may or may not reference in this fanfic). **

**Note: Ollie refers to the Green Arrow, Speedy's mentor.**

**Chapter 1: Black Tuesday**

…**No, it's not about the stock market.**

When Roy awoke, the last place that he expected to be was a hospital, and yet, here he was. Still, as he inspected the room closer, he noticed certain details that seemed to tell a different tale. For one thing, what hospital was located further out sea than a harbor? Then it hit him; this was not a hospital. He was in the medical bay of Titans' Tower. How did he end up there? Where was his team? Green eyes widened as pieces of his memory began to return. The attack. Garth. Where was Garth?

He frantically searched the room for his teammate and breathed a huge sigh of relief. There he was. The Atlantean was unconscious on the gurney next to him. He gave Aqualad a once-over. His friend appeared to be in pain. His head was bandaged, and if Roy remembered correctly, his back was more than severely wounded. He checked the nearby heart monitor. Garth's heart rate was fast and shallow, and his temperature read an astonishing 146.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Speedy knew that Atlanteans had high body temperatures, but that just could not be normal.

The redhead pulled out his own I.V. and monitoring devices and made his way over to where the purple-eyed boy slept restlessly. He rested his elbows on the gurney and just stared at Garth for a long time.

"Hey," he croaked out. His voice was so hoarse. It felt as though he had aged a century overnight. "Garth? Can you hear me? It's Roy…God, what'd they _do_ to you?" He swallowed, grabbing one of Aqualad's hands and clutching it with both of his own. "Don't give up, okay? I'm still here, okay?" The Atlantean made no visible response. "Look, I dunno what's gonna happen from here, but no matter what, I swear I'll protect you. You're all I've got left, Garth, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Garth did nothing at first, but just as Speedy was about to return to his own bed, he felt the Atlantean's hand weakly squeeze his.

"Roy…" he murmured, barely audible. Roy beamed.

"Yeah, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Garth seemed to relax at this, falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.

"It's funny," came a voice from the doorway. Roy nearly jumped, startled by the new presence. "Last time I saw you guys, you were fighting over fish tacos, and now look at ya'll."

Speedy smiled. "He's my best friend, Vic, and," his expression darkened, "and now he's all I've got left." Roy could practically hear Cyborg's frown.

"What do you mean?" Speedy turned.

"Grab Robin. If I know him at all, he'll wanna question me himself." Victor nodded, leaving the room to find the commander-in-chief of Titans West.

"…Roy," came that unbelievably weak voice from the bed. Somehow, before the redhead even looked, he knew that his teammate was awake. "Roy?...W-what-?" He cut off as Roy shushed him.

"Don't try to talk," he soothed. "You're hurt pretty bad." Garth attempted to sit up, but immediately fell forward into Roy's arms.

"Mmmn…dizzy…" Roy laid him back down.

"I know." He gently patted his head. "They really got you good, didn't they?" The Atlantean nodded weakly. "Try to get some rest; you need it." Roy did not have to ask twice.

"You should talk," Robin commented as he entered, the other four Titans in tow. Speedy turned, giving the other a wry smile. He sat back down on his gurney with an exasperated sigh. "So," continued the boy wonder, "do you think you can tell us what happened?" The atmosphere grew dark as Roy paused. "I'm sorry to make you relive whatever happened to you, Roy, but the more information you give us, the more we can help."

With a grim nod, the redhead began: "I guess it all started a couple weeks ago when Garth started to lose control of his telepathy."

"How so?" interjected Robin.

"There was an attack at the pier. The criminal fell into the water, and Aqualad tried to summon some of his fish-buddies to help us out. But they didn't respond. He kept trying, again and again, and finally, he got through. The guy nearly drowned by the time his telepathy worked, but he ended up okay. Karen took him into custody. Mas and Menos went ahead to meet us at the Tower. I turned to make a joke, maybe make Garth feel a little better, but he collapsed."

"Collapsed?" It was Cyborg who spoke this time.

"Yeah, he was on his knees and clutching his head like it was fit to burst or something. It was over pretty quick, but it shook both of us up. Before I could say anything, he told me not to say anything to Bee, Mas, or Menos."

"And you didn't?" Robin.

"No, I wanted to respect his privacy."

"Fair enough," the masked boy replied.

"Anyway, his headaches continued over the next few weeks. They only got worse as time went on. His telepathy got weaker, and so did he. His control of water went haywire. If he got even the least bit angry…man, water would be bursting outta the pipes all over the Tower! It just wasn't normal."

Speedy decided to leave out the most personal part of his friend's illness: the nights. Garth's headaches would keep him up at night, if not give him terrible nightmares. Sometimes, he would even cry. And Roy knew this because he was the one that the Atlantean would come to if it all became too much for him.

He remembered the first night. Garth had stumbled into his room, fell against the wall, and broke down in tears. When a half-asleep Roy had asked what was wrong, the purple-eyed boy had clung to the redhead. Somehow, it had been comforting to the Atlantean in need, but it had broken Roy's heart when he had whimpered out an apology for being so weak. Roy had growled out, "Don't you dare apologize for something like that. If you need this, you need this; I don't mind." Garth had murmured one final thank you before falling asleep.

This pattern had continued for those next few weeks. Sometimes, Roy would hold Garth until he fell asleep before bringing him back to his tank to rest. Other times, Roy would awaken in the early hours of the morning only to find Garth curled up against him, fast asleep. And through all of this, Roy would feel an odd sort of pleasure at knowing that he could offer some kind of comfort to his friend in need.

Still, Speedy would never tell the Titans West of those nights, for those times were just between him and Garth.

"Beast Boy," snapped Robin, shaking Roy out of his reverie, "stop bothering Garth." The changeling lied down next to the Atlantean as a green Labrador retriever. Roy simply smiled.

"Nah, he's got the right idea. Garth loves animals, not just marine ones, and he likes Beast Boy, so it's probably not bothering him." Roy wondered if anyone else noticed the subtle shift in Garth's expression to contentment when Gar curled up next to him.

"So, what happened next?" asked Dick sternly. The redhead nodded.

"So, this continued until…how long ago did I arrive at the Tower?"

"That was…the Tuesday," began Starfire cheerfully, "two days ago." Speedy nodded gratefully.

"Well, that day, we all woke up for early-morning training, except Garth. Karen had figured out herself that he wasn't well, so she decided to give him a break when he slept through his alarm. We were going out to breakfast that morning, so we tried to wake him, but he just wouldn't. Nothing we tried would wake him; he was really sick. I volunteered to watch him while Bee, Mas, and Menos grabbed some breakfast to bring back to the Tower.

"While they were gone, Garth woke up, but he was really out of it and had a fever. I had to carry him over to the couch because he was too sick to walk. But when he was relatively coherent, he said that he had the worst headache he'd ever had in his entire life.

"We took turns taking care of him, but as the day went on, he started to get really delirious. He started talking about a group of people, which he referred to simply as, 'them.' He said 'they' were coming, and we had to get outta the Tower before 'they' came for him. We thought he was just babbling and delusional from the fever." Roy gritted his teeth at the thought. "Goddammit! If only we'd fucking listened!"

"Roy," Robin soothed, "I know it's hard, but you need to calm down." Speedy clenched his fists but nodded nonetheless.

"That night…he was terrible. We tried putting him to bed, but he didn't even try to rest. He was having a fit. I was up with him until after midnight. He was just so delusional; he wouldn't relax for a moment.

"It all happened so fast: one minute, I was taking care of Garth, the next, we were surrounded. They got me with some kinda chemical. I really don't remember much, only flashes. I remember Karen telling me to look out. Then…I think we got separated. I was against a wall, just trying to keep from passing out. Mas and Menos got split apart, and Karen grabbed Garth. I took a blow for Mas, got nicked pretty bad in the head. I managed to pick off a few guys…but the chemical just got to me. I got dizzy and shaky, and I think I passed out at one point.

"Then, I remember being held up by some guy. It's really garbled, but I think they threatened Garth with my life. Garth must've submitted because when I next came to, those bastards had him. They…did something to him. I can't remember what but…" Roy's expression took on a haunted look, one far too old for a face so young. "I have _never_ heard _anyone_ scream like that. _Never_. I lost it after that. I just started kicking and biting, trying to get them off Garth. I used the 'emergencies only' arrow that Ollie gave me. I'm not entirely sure what it did, but hell…it got rid of them. I blacked out again.

"When I woke up, I was on the ground next to Garth. He was unconscious and looked like hell warmed over. I was still out-of-it and shaky, but I managed to pull him over my shoulders. I searched the Tower for Karen, Mas, and Menos…and…I found them. They were all in different parts of the Tower, and they…" Speedy Trailed off, swallowing, "they were dead. All three of them."

Starfire gasped. Beast Boy, in dog form, whimpered, Cyborg grimaced. Raven murmured a soft, "No." Robin grit his teeth. Garth shifted slightly in his sleep.

"…I was about to go crazy. I…I didn't know what I was going to do, but I guarantee it would've been stupid. Then, I remembered Garth, and I realized I still had one teammate left that needed me, so…I headed here." Speedy's fists were clenched in his lap, but still, he had no idea how to react. He felt empty.

Before the reality of losing his entire team could dawn on him, Starfire threw her arms around Speedy, shedding the tears that seemed unable to escape him. "I am so sorry! So, so, so sorry!" Roy found himself clutching onto her as if life itself depended on it. Hell, maybe it did.

"Thank you," he managed softly.

They remained like that for the longest time.

Finally, Dick spoke, "Roy, you could use some sleep." The aforementioned did not argue, and simply complied, lying back down as the five members of Titans West the room, turning off the lights in their wake.

Outside the room, Roy could hear Raven speak: "The least we can do is go and bury their bodies before they…"

"Rot," Robin finished grimly.

"I'll come with you," came Cyborg's voice.

"When Roy and Garth are back up to speed, we can hold a service." There was a collective murmur of agreement before the voices stopped. The five Titans left.

Speedy was alone again.

But not quite.

He could still here the soft methodical breathing of the Atlantean on the adjacent bed. It was comforting if nothing else. He climbed out of his gurney and snuck over to Garth's gurney, lying next to the purple-eyed boy. Garth mumbled unintelligibly in his sleep before curling closer to Roy. The latter gently wrapped his arms around the Atlantean with a contented sigh.

For the first time since he awoke, Roy felt at ease.

***Okay, be gentle, how much did it suck? None? A lot? It had its moments? Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading it, because I always enjoy writing it…well, except for the proofreading part (shivers). Well, see you all next week! It's going to be an extra special long chapter as an early holiday present. ;)**


	3. Helpless

***Yeah, so, guess what I've been doing in calculus instead of taking notes? No, not writing this fanfic…DRAWING this fanfic!! I've got hundreds (okay, like five) of doodles that I'm thinking about coloring and putting up on deviantart. Is anyone interested in seeing them? If so, let me know, and I'll put them up and pm you with the page. Anyway, here we have an extra-spectacularly-long chapter! Yay!! So, I just spent an unprecedented amount of time on because I'm in a bit of a bind. I need a shapeshifter for the later chapters (to use as a plot device…OMG spoilerz!) I'm really not a fan of OCs; I don't like reading them, and I don't like writing them unless absolutely necessary. So, I thought, hey, there've been like 200 Teen Titans over the years (comic-wise I mean), so I figured that there was bound to be at least one Titan who can shapeshift. I managed to come across two, but I can't seem to choose between them. There's Miss Martian (Megan Morse/ M'gann M'orzz) and Mirage (Miriam Degaldo). I really have no idea which of the two I'd prefer to use, so I figure you guys can help me out. If you don't know much about them, then just look up their character bios on Wikipedia or . I'm planning on setting up a poll, so just go ahead and vote, okay? Anyway, so, I'd like to thank my fabulous reviewers (****guardyanangel****, ****Bizerko-Kittykins****, and ****SpiritMusician****), you guys put the "fun" in "fanfiction"…and don't tell me that there isn't a fun in fanfiction, because if I squint really hard, that "a" almost-but-not-really looks like a "u". Ah, love you guys. Well, enjoy the show, mes amores! **

**Disclaimer: "Give them an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate."- "Razzle Dazzle," **_**Chicago **_**(P.S. I don't own **_**Teen Titans**_** or any pop culture references that I may or may not reference in this fanfic).**

**Notes: Orin refers to Aquaman, Garth's mentor. Shayeris was where Garth was born, but because of his purple eyes, he was exiled and left on a reef to die. Also, when Roy mentions "the baby" towards the end, he's referring to Aquaman's son, also known as "Aquababy" (God, why are the names so horribly lame?) In my interpretation, Garth hates to be around the baby because it makes him feel as though he's been replaced by someone who has something that he could never possibly have: a blood-relation to Aquaman. **

**Chapter 2: Powerless**

Garth awoke, never feeling more rejuvenated. He was dehydrated, weak, and in pain, but it did not matter, because the most wonderful warmth even to exist was holding him close. He felt at home, and _that_ was saying something. Being exiled from his city at birth meant that he had never truly had a home, but here, he felt welcomed, loved. He had felt this feeling before.

Suddenly, he knew where he was.

Slowly, he pulled himself away from the warmth, careful not to wake its source. Climbing out of the gurney, Garth gently pulled the blanket over the body on the bed. "Sleep well, Roy," he whispered.

When Garth exited the medical bay, he frowned. He was no longer at Titans East Tower. In fact, he was no longer even in Steel City. This was Titans West Head Quarters. How did he end up there?

Garth backed against the wall, sinking to the ground. Holding his head lightly, he sighed in frustration. He remembered _that_ morning, barely. The fever. He had known something was coming. Roy, Karen, and the twins had taken care of him. Roy had kept watch over him as the night fell, and then…the attack. His headache had gotten so bad. Bee had dragged him somewhere away from the battle, but they were separated. And then, Roy. _They_ had gotten Roy.

He remembered that deep, thundering voice: "Garth of Shayeris, come with us or your teammate died." Without a second thought, Garth complied. Anything for Roy. But, the moment that Garth had drawn near enough, the voice chuckled. "Now, to be sure that you don't attack us the moment that we release him…attach the Machtlos!" Garth's eyes had widened as he felt something forced onto his back. To his horror, it entered him. Then, it came. Agony. Garth went blind from the pain, body melting, blood boiling, skin burning off. Garth screamed. He shrieked until his voice was raw. He wanted for it all to end, to die. Tears streamed down his face as his body was racked with tremors.

Everything faded away.

Nothing.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by that amazing warmth. He was in so much pain, but as long as that warmth never left, he would be all right. His eyes opened.

There he was, Roy Harper, Speedy, the love of Garth's life. And he was in the redhead's arms. When the Atlantean had first met Speedy, he had thought him to be an arrogant prick, but now, he knew better. Roy was the kindest person that Garth had ever known.

Garth tried to speak, but whatever they did to him had fried his brains. What he had meant to say just came out as light babbling.

Then, the archer smiled, gently kissing Garth's forehead (making the purple-eyed boy melt in the process). "Don't try to talk, okay?" Roy's voice was quiet, comforting, but Garth could hear just how shaken up the redhead was. Even so, the Atlantean felt so safe; he curled up in Speedy's arms. "You need to rest," Roy continued. "I dunno what they did to you, but it wasn't anything good." Garth found himself relaxing as Roy lightly stroked his hair. Before he fell completely asleep, he managed a soft, "Roy." Again, he descended into darkness, but this time, he was content.

And that was the last thing that Garth remembered.

With a sigh, he decided that the best way of getting answers would be to talk to Titans West. He headed to the main room of Titans Tower.

There, he found Beast Boy and Cyborg, but they were not playing video games or arguing playfully as they were known to do; in fact, both looked nothing but morose. Aqualad approached with caution.

"Gar? Vic?" he called softly, surprised at how weak and hoarse he sounded. Both boys turned.

"Garth!" cried Beast Boy. "You're up!" The aforementioned nodded with a weak smile. He moved towards the couch when the room around him began to spin uncontrollably. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, body shaking and breath heavy.

"Garth!" cried both Beast Boy and Cyborg. They dashed over to the ailing Atlantean.

"What's wrong?" asked Victor seriously, as Garfield attempted to help Garth to his feet only to have him stumble and fall over again.

"W-water," Aqualad managed to gasp out between breaths. Nodding, Cyborg promptly ran to the fridge and returned with a gallon of water. Garth grabbed the bottle, and realizing that it was fresh water, opted to pour it over his body rather than risk drinking it.

He sighed in relief, feeling much better. "Thanks," he managed.

"Anytime," replied victor. Beast Boy helped Aqualad over to the couch to sit down.

"So," he began once he caught his breath, "how did I end up here?"

"Roy carried you," Garfield said as though it was the most obvious fact in the world. Garth smiled.

"Okay then. Well, where've Karen and the twins gotten off to?" Cyborg and Beast Boy shared anxious glances.

"I think it'd be best if Speedy told you that," said Victor finally. Garth tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach at that suggestion.

"What about me?" came a hoarse voice from the doorway. Garth turned only to find Roy standing there with a weak smile on his face. If he had less control over himself, the Atlantean would have gasped at the sight. Roy's mask was still off, revealing gorgeous chartreuse irises. It was almost as though Roy was a puzzle that had always had a piece missing, but as soon as the mask came off, the picture was complete, and Garth could not be happier.

When Aqualad returned from his reverie in deep space, Speedy was right in front of him, almost too close for comfort. He was lifting Garth's chin with his forefinger and thumb and scrutinizing his face with a concerned expression. "Garth, you okay?" The aforementioned cocked his head in confusion. "You seem pretty out-of-it. Here…" He placed a hand on the violet-eyed boy's forehead. Roy frowned. "You've got a fever. Maybe you should lie back down."

"You're pretty shaky yourself, Speeds," cut in Cyborg. "Take a seat, man." Roy did so, but instead of taking the seat on the other side of Beast Boy where there was plenty of room, he squeezed in between Garth and the armrest. And if that was not enough for the Atlantean, he nearly exploded when Roy's arm snaked around his shoulders pulling him close.

Next to them, the two members of Titans West watched the scene before them with two very different reactions. Beast Boy was not sure what to make of the sight and merely shrugged it off. Cyborg, however, knew exactly what was going on: Roy's entire team, his surrogate family, was dead. Garth was all that he had left. He wanted to keep the Atlantean close so that he could be sure that he was safe. He needed to touch the other to reaffirm his existence, to know that he was still there, still alive. Cyborg knew that if, God forbid, he was in a similar situation, he would be acting the same way.

"Anyway," Victor began, ending the pregnant silence, "we were just talking to Garth, and he says he doesn't remember much of what happened…we thought it'd be best if you told him." Roy nodded solemnly. With that, Cyborg left the room, dragging a confused Beast Boy in his wake.

"Well," the redhead murmured with a gentle expression. "What _do_ you remember?" And Garth told him, everything from his terrible condition that day to the threats that the leader of the attackers made.

"…and then you told me to rest because they really did a number on me…and that's where it gets pretty fuzzy. I don't remember what happened after that." Roy nodded grimy. Aqualad did not like the expression on his friend's face. "Roy, what happened after I passed out? Where's everyone else? Did-" Speedy put a firm hand on the Atlantean's shoulder, quieting him.

"After you passed out, Garth…I went to look for the others, and…Karen, Mas, and Menos," he swallowed, almost unable to continue. "I found them, Garth; they didn't make it through the battle." Garth's eyes widened.

"Speedy," he said coldly. The aforementioned knew that something was wrong from the moment that the Atlantean used his pseudonym. "If this is a joke, it's not funny." Roy suspired, his eyes holding nothing but pain.

"It's not a joke, Garth; it's real. Garth, they're dead."

"Liar," the purple-eyed boy growled out warningly.

"We're all that's left of Titans East."

"Liar!"

"They're buried by the Tower in Steel City. We're going to hold a service as soon as we can make the trip."

"Liar! Liar! Liar!!" screamed Garth, hitting Roy after every shout. "Liar! Liar!" After the last outburst, Roy caught Garth's fists and pulled him close. "Liar," the Atlantean continued, but there was no longer any real fight behind it. Roy just held him tightly against him, slowly rocking him.

"Shhh…"

"Liar. I hate you. I hate you!" The redhead's eyes were saturated with melancholy, but still, he just stroked Aqualad's soft hair, being as comforting as possible.

"Shh…I know…I know…it's gonna be all right. Shhh…that's it; just let it all out." Finally, Garth stopped struggling and began to sob brokenly. Roy almost wanted the angry Garth back, for the Atlantean's endless tears were breaking his heart.

"This is all my fault," Garth managed to choke out between sobs. The archer's eyes widened.

"What?" he gasped out.

"They were after me; our team died because of me." His breath hitched, as his body was wracked with more sobs. "You must hate me, Roy." Roy snapped himself out of his shock long enough to speak.

"Garth, look at me." The Atlantean kept those purple eyes to the ground. Roy placed his hands on either side of Garth's face, gently coaxing him to look upwards. "Look at me," he repeated softly. "Garth, this is not your fault. Nothing is your fault." He pulled Aqualad back against him. "And I could never hate you. Never," he whispered as he felt tears wet his shirt again. "It's gonna be okay. I'm here. I'll always be right here." He dropped a light kiss to the top of Garth's head. "I'm not going anywhere."

The two remained like that for a long time, just basking in each other's presences. Eventually, Garth cried himself into a fitful rest, his head falling into Speedy's lap. Roy just smiled, lightly fingering Garth's smooth ebony tresses.

Beast Boy and Cyborg returned after a time. "So, what happened?" the green boy asked. Roy shushed him harshly, pointing to the sleeping Aqualad.

"How is he?" mouthed Cyborg. Speedy gently felt the Atlantean's forehead, as not to wake him. He was warmer than before. Frowning, Roy realized that the stress of the news must have made his fever worse. Meeting Victor's eyes, he shook his head. The other just nodded solemnly.

"I'll go get the others," mimed Beast Boy exaggeratedly. Roy could not help but to crack a smile; Garfield did have that effect on people after all.

When Beast Boy next returned, Robin, Starfire, and Raven were in tow. The boy wonder was the first to speak, "Roy, we need to talk. It'd be best if Garth was awake for this." Speedy was a bit put off by Robin's suggestion, as well as his curt tone, but he nodded nonetheless. He gently shook the boy in his lap.

"Garth, wake up; come on." The Atlantean stirred, softly groaning. He sat up, gently rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Roy, wha?" he slurred. He moved to give the redhead more space, but the archer would have none of it. He pulled the sleepy violet-eyed boy back against him. Garth did not fight, merely leaned into Speedy, head resting on his shoulder.

"Dick needs to talk to us, Garth."

Nodding lightly, Garth mumbled, "Oh, okay." Roy could not help but to smile; the Atlantean could be so adorable sometimes.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about your position," Dick explained. Speedy nodded, but Garth appeared to be falling back asleep. Roy had to wonder what the use was in waking the purple-eyed boy; he was too tired to process anything. "Once we've had…the funeral," it was hard for Robin to even mention the idea, "I'm thinking you guys can stay around the Tower. We can ease you back into crime-fighting, you can jump back in, or if you really can't go through with it, you can quit. Whatever you need to do. But, if you decide to keep fighting, when you've recovered enough, we can ban together a new group to help in Steel City. Maybe Kid Flash or Jericho. How is this sounding?"

As much as Speedy hated the idea of a "new" team, he knew that he would regret quitting crime-fighting more than trying to rebuild with a new group in Steel City. Plus, he rather liked Kid Flash and Jericho. "Sounds like a plan, Dick. I'll have to check with Garth though…I mean when he's less…totally out-of-it." Robin nodded with a smile.

"All right then. We'll set up a room for you guys. Would you guys prefer to share? If not, we can set up two different rooms."

Roy looked to the sleeping Atlantean, resting on his shoulder and smiled. "Sharing sounds fine," he answered for both of them, knowing that Garth would feel the same.

"Beast Boy, why don't you show them to their room?"

"Right," responded Garfield with a grin, "no prob."

With that, Roy gently shook Garth awake again. "Hey," greeted the redhead softly when dazed violet eyes gazed up at him. Garth blinked. "Beast Boy's gonna show us to our room, okay?"

"Okay," the Atlantean echoed after a moments pause. Roy stood, helping Garth to his feet, and Beast Boy led the two to one of the free rooms on the other side of the Tower.

Once the three exited, Robin slumped onto the couch with an exasperated sigh. Starfire sat down beside him.

"I do not think that I have ever seen our friend Garth so how you say, the 'spaced out'." Raven nodded as she shifted her weight to her other leg.

"Speedy wasn't acting himself either."

"They've been through a lot," cut in Cyborg.

"Yeah," agreed Robin. "Hopefully, with time, they'll be all right."

Meanwhile, Roy and Beast Boy had just finished setting up a cot in Speedy and Aqualad's new room. It was bare, having no personality since it was normally used as a guest room. Still, there was a dresser, a comfortable queen-sized bed, and plenty of room.

"Well," began the changeling, "sorry about the cot. It's not as fancy as the one already in here," he gestured to the bed that Garth was currently sleeping on, "But it'll do for now." Roy nodded.

"Anyway," continued Beast Boy, "the bathroom's right across the hall. It's got a shower, which Garth can use if he needs water. That's about it. Feel free to wander, and someone outta let you know when it's time to eat. Speaking of which, I'm pretty hungry. Hm, maybe I should make myself a tofu burger or a-"

"Beast Boy," cut in Roy to stop the green boy's odd tangent.

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, so I'm gonna head back to the main room. Let me know if you guys need anything." Again, the redhead nodded.

"Thanks," he murmured genuinely.

"No prob," Garfield responded happily. "Later," he called as he exited.

With an exasperated sigh, Roy moved to the bed and sat down beside Garth's sleeping form. So much had happened. He did not know where to begin. He absent-mindedly stroked the Atlantean's ebony locks as he gazed out the window at Jump City. How different it was from Steel City. He wondered if he could ever adjust. Did he even want to? For if he did, would he be spitting on the memory of the team?

Garth stirred. " Hey," Roy whispered, "how're you holding up?" Aqualad smiled warmly.

"I'll live," he yawned out. "Are you okay?"

"Just a little dizzy," he confessed. He was finding it harder and harder to lie when those eyes were on him.

"You should lie down then," Garth suggested softly. Roy just nodded and laid down on the pillow, right beside the violet-eyed boy. It did not feel even the least bit uncomfortable to be sharing the bed, quite the contrary actually.

Still, Garth did not immediately curl against him as he was wont to do. Roy raised an eyebrow. "You know," he began, "you can come closer if you want. I don't bit."

"But you're ill," the Atlantean argued, fidgeting.

"Just come here, you crazy mermaid." Roy grabbed Garth and pulled him so that his face was buried in the crook of his neck. The latter leaned into him.

"Hey, Roy?" The redhead nodded as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "What's a mermaid?" Roy could not help but to chuckle.

"Maybe I'll tell you someday."

"I'm…confused. Why are you withholding information from me?" Roy just sighed.

"Go to sleep, Garth." The aforementioned was just too exhausted to argue.

"Oh, all right." Roy knew that the purple-eyed boy had complied when the silence was filled with nothing but Garth's deep breathing.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "I wish I knew what you are to me," he mused aloud. "Friends don't sleep cuddling together at night; at least, I thought they don't. God, you make me so crazy I don't even know what to do with myself." Seemingly in response, Garth gently nuzzled his neck in his sleep.

"Roy…" he whined quietly, still asleep, "cut that…out." The redhead had to smile at that.

"I don't even know what to do with _you_, more like." With all said and done, Roy drifted off.

Both Roy and Garth awoke with a start when their room was filled with a loud klaxon and a bright, flashing red light.

"Roy?" Garth called sleepily. "What's going on?"

Roy shook his head. "I dunno. Come on; let's go find out."

The two made their way over to the main room where they found all five members of Titans West huddled around a computer.

"Guys," Roy called, "what's going on?" Robin turned from his seat at the computer.

"Trouble," he replied. "H.I.V.E. Five's been spotted at the bank." Robin did not need to explain twice.

"Okay, just let me get my arrows, and I'm set."

"Same here," Aqualad responded determinedly. At this notion, however, both Titans West and Speedy frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Well," began Cyborg, "Speedy seems to be okay, but you're still in no condition to fight. Last time we checked, your temperature was through the roof." Aqualad's eyes narrowed.

"If Roy goes, I go."

"It's probably not the best idea to separate them yet," cut in Raven.

"And we can always use the help," added Beast Boy.

"There's no time to debate this now," Robin argued, taking charge. "Both Speedy and Aqualad go, but, Garth, try not to overdo yourself."

"Roger," Aqualad affirmed.

Speedy ran to his and Garth's room to grab his bow and quiver, and once prepared to fight, all seven Titans headed for the bank.

"This's just too easy," claimed Gizmo as he used an advanced vacuum to suck up all of the money in the vault.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Gizmo," cut in Robin, "but things just got a lot harder."

"Yeah," Cyborg added, "and we brought friends." He pointed to Aqualad and Speedy for emphasis.

A copy of Billy Numerous turned to Gizmo. "You just _had_ to say somethin', didn't ya?"

With that, the fight began. Cyborg took on Gizmo, Kyd Wykkyd made a beeline for Raven, Starfire practically tackled See-More, Beast Boy ran after Billy Numerous with Speedy following after, and Mammoth went straight for Robin and Aqualad.

When Mammoth charged Aqualad, he held out both hands to meet his power, but instead of stopping Mammoth from advancing, Garth was easily overpowered and was sent hurtling against a support beam. Mammoth moved to disable Robin next.

As Aqualad pulled himself out of his Atlantean-sized crater, he could not believe what had just happened. How could he possibly be so effortlessly beaten in a contest of strength? Garth could lift over eight tons on dry land! How could he have been sent hurtling towards the wall without Mammoth so much as breaking a sweat? Shrugging off the irregularity, Garth decided to go for his water-manipulating powers instead.

He willed the water in the pipes to shoot out at Mammoth with projectile-like power, but…nothing happened. He tried again and again, but not so much as a drop came out. He only succeeded in tiring himself.

He was in such a state of shock that he barely even noticed when Robin dashed over, having temporarily subdued Mammoth.

"Garth, what's going on? Where were you back there?"

The Atlantean was still on his knees at this point, eyes wide. "I can't—my powers," he babbled, "my powers—they're not-" Before he could even finish a coherent sentence, Mammoth shot up, shoved Robin out of the way, and lifted Garth by the throat, choking him.

Garth struggled to no avail; frantically, as he ran out of oxygen, he willed all of the water in the area to come with all of his remaining strength. And it did; gallons upon gallons streamed into the bank at Mammoth, the sheer force enough to crash him into the wall and knock him out. Aqualad, no longer able to control his power, flooded the entire bank. The Titans were saved, thanks to Raven's quick use of her powers, while their opponents were not so lucky.

"Garth," snapped Speedy once the water had all but disappeared, "what were you thinking?! You could've-" He cut off as soon as he took one look at his friend. For once his power over the water had completely diminished, Garth's eyes rolled back, he fell to the ground, and began to seize. Speedy almost screamed at the sight of Garth, _Garth_, as his limbs flailed uncontrollably, body racked with tremors, eyes moving frantically in their sockets, and mouth silently forming unrecognizable words.

Roy's world shifted into slow motion as Raven ran over to the Atlantean and began using her powers to quell the seizure. Garth's convulsions finally stopped, but he was left shaking horribly, breathing labored. Robin and Cyborg ran over.

One cried out, "We have to get him to a hospital!" While the other replied, "No, they can't do anything for him. His physiology's too different."

Starfire practically dragged Roy closer, Beast Boy in tow.

"Dude! What should we do?" questioned the latter, panicking. At this, Robin took charge.

"Beast Boy, Starfire, take H.I.V.E. Five to jail. Cyborg, Raven, Speedy, we'll take Garth back to the Tower to get checked out. Move out." He turned to Raven, "Raven, do you think you can fly us there?" She nodded.

Raven's powers managed to get the five of them back to Titans Tower without much trouble. Immediately, upon entering the Tower, Cyborg attached Aqualad to many monitoring devices while Raven checked him over using her magic.

"If there's anything wrong," began Cyborg, "these machines'll tell us. We'll have to wait for the results to come in though." Raven levitated Garth as her hands, pulsating with dark energy, ran back and forth across his body.

"What've you got, Raven?" asked Robin in an authoritative tone.

"All I can say for sure is that he's out of danger…at least for now." The boy wonder nodded.

Speedy watched in anxiety as the other three Titans went about their work. He felt so useless. While the others were saving Garth's life, it would seem that all he could do was hold the Atlantean's hand. Absolutely worthless.

"You're not worthless, Roy" Raven said nonchalantly. Speedy had forgotten that she was an empath. "You're helping just as much as everyone else. You just can't see it." Roy nodded, not entirely convinced.

There was a sudden beeping from one of Cyborg's instruments, snapping everyone to attention.

"The machine's got everything it needs," Cyborg translated. "We just have to wait for it to process everything." The other three nodded.

"So we can detach him now?" inquired Roy restlessly.

"Looks like it," answered Robin.

"Should we take him to the medical bay?" asked Victor awaiting orders. Robin shook his head.

"He'll probably be happiest in a normal bed, not a hospital gurney." There was a collective murmur of agreement, and Speedy flashed Dick a warm smile. Raven gently guided Garth into Roy's arms. "I'd better contact Beast Boy and Starfire," continued Robin. "Put him to bed and let us know if anything happens." Speedy nodded.

"Thanks for everything guys." Robin and Cyborg grinned, even Raven cracked a smile.

"There's no need to thank us," Raven retaliated.

"Garth's our friend. He'd do the same for us," Cyborg finished simply.

With that, Roy carried Garth to their room, placed him in the bed and gently pulled the covers over him. With an exhausted sigh, he took a seat on the bed. "Keep pulling stunts like this," he began, "and you'll be the death of me." Aqualad stirred, violet eyes slowly fluttering open.

However, before Roy could utter a single word, Garth murmured, "I'm sorry." The redhead blinked, confused.

"Why?"

"You're mad at me, aren't you?" the Atlantean continued solemnly. "The last thing I remember was you yelling, 'Garth, what were you thinking.' I did something wrong, didn't I? I'm sor-" Before he could stop himself, Roy quieted Garth with a kiss to the forehead.

"Don't be ridiculous; you didn't do anything wrong. I was just being stupid is all. I'm not mad anymore." At this, Garth flashed him a warm smile.

"Good, I was worried there for a minute." Roy opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it upon better judgment. Instead, he merely tousled Garth's hair fondly.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Roy did not know how long he just sat there watching the Atlantean sleep peacefully, but eventually, the door opened, revealing a good-natured, green changeling.

"Beast Boy, what's going on?" asked Roy. A soft moan resounded from the bed as Garth awoke.

"Gar?" he groaned out. "That you?" Garfield approached the bed.

"Yeah. Oh, uh, Speedy, Robin says he needs to see you." Roy nodded before turning back, faltering.

"…Maybe later. I don't particularly wanna ditch Garth right now." At this, a wide grin spread across Beast Boy's face.

"Hey! That's what I'm here for! You go see what Dick wants, and I'll stay and keep Garth company." Roy still felt uncertain.

"I'll be fine, Roy," came that soft voice again. "Gar'll be right here." Roy stood his ground for a bit longer before sighing in defeat.

"If your sure," he murmured. "Okay, I'll be back in a bit." With that, Roy exited with only a single glance back at Garth's pale form.

Beast Boy pulled up a chair beside the Atlantean. "So…how're you holding up, dude?" Garth smiled weakly at his new companion.

"I've had better days," he confessed. Suddenly, Beast Boy jumped up, snapping his fingers.

"Ooh! I know just how to make you feel better! Okay, this's a great one: if April showers bring May flowers then what do May flowers bring?" Garth did not respond, still in shock from the randomness of the question. "Pilgrims!" Gar shouted in response to his own question.

Aqualad merely blinked. "…I'm…confused…"

Beast Boy's excitement seemed to deflate at Garth's apparent lack of a sense of humor. "You know, like how the Pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower to grow corn and escape the British's tea-rannical reign, and then they all went back to Prague to guillotine Rasputin for leading the Welsh army into Guatemala?" **(A/N—And once again, we see proof of BB's mail order masters degree in U.S. History from Crackpot University).** Again, Garth just blinked, extremely bewildered.

"No…actually…I don't know…" Garfield let out an exasperated sigh.

"You Atlanteans and your unknowingness of American history. You're as bad as Starfire! Well, okay, let's try this one instead: have you ever heard of the restaurant on the moon?"

Shaking his head, Aqualad inquired, "No, what's it like?"

"Great food but no atmosphere!" Beast Boy burst out loudly and dramatically. There was a silence in which Garth was in shock and Garfield had a huge grin on his face. Finally, both burst out laughing.

"That's…terrible!" chortled out Garth, unable to help himself. The changeling just continued to laugh along with him.

"I know! Isn't it great!" The two finally calmed down enough to catch their breaths. "See, laughter really is the best medicine." Aqualad grinned.

"Yes, I suppose it is." They shared in a comfortable silence for a moment.

"Gar?" Garth called, deciding to take this moment to voice something that had confused him for a while.

"What's up?" asked Beast Boy.

"Why am I the only Titan that's allowed to call you by your first name? Everyone else calls you Beast Boy or some variant of it." At first, the green boy was silent.

"Well, when everyone first found out my real name, they kept making fun of me for it (especially Raven). Finally, one day, I said, 'Enough is enough.' And they stopped because they knew how much it bugged me. But after we defeated the Brotherhood of Evil, you found out about my real name. But you just said, 'Garfield, that means "battlefield" right? I like it.' You were the first person outside of the Doom Patrol who didn't laugh at it. Besides, I kinda like when you call me 'Gar'. No one's ever called me that before. It was kinda like the first time Cy called me 'dude,' oddly satisfying." Garth just smiled.

"You know, Gar, you were the first friend I'd ever had," Beast Boy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

"What! Really?! What about Tramm? And uh…Aquaman?" Garth's smile never faltered as he shook his head.

"Tramm's more like family to me, like a little brother. And Orin, he's sort of a father-figure and a mentor. I didn't really have friends growing up, and then I met you. You were the first person to ever argue with me, and the first person to ever work with me as an equal. It felt…nice. I'm really glad I met you, Gar."

Beast Boy grinned. "You never had a friend? No wonder you were so grumpy!" At this, Aqualad frowned.

"We're having a moment here. Don't ruin it." Before the changeling could retaliate, the door burst open, revealing a distraught Roy. Roy was sweating and pale, with wide green eyes. He looked as though he had just seen a ghost and ran a mile. "Roy," began Garth, "is everything all right? Did somethi-"

"Can you walk?" Speedy interrupted. The Atlantean blinked at the sudden question.

"Um, I'm not sure…I haven't tried." Roy quickly pulled Garth to his felt, stopping only when the other stumbled.

"Roy, what's the rush?" asked the violet-eyed boy. Roy's back was to him, but Aqualad could see the redhead tense. "Is something the matter?" Taking a deep breath, the archer turned.

"Yes, Garth, but you need to see this for yourself. I'll help you to the main room. Beast Boy, you should see this too." Roy pulled Garth's arm over his shoulder and rushed out of the room, Beast Boy following after. At this pace, they quickly made it to the room where the other four Titans were waiting, all with concerned looks on their faces.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on?" asked Garth, growing anxious.

Cyborg was the first to speak: "The results from your tests are in, and well…here, see for yourself." He pressed a few keys on the main frame, and within moments, an x-ray popped onto the screen. The basic bone structure was a little odd, but that was not unusual for an Atlantean. No, the disturbing part of the image was a mass on the spinal column that appeared to be made of metal.

"What's that?" asked Aqualad, eyes wide.

"It gets weirder," explained Robin. "Cyborg?" Without further prompting, Victor opened another image.

"Look what happens when I overlay an image from a more advanced machine."

This time, a large tentacled mass appeared around the metal. It reminded Garth of some sort of parasitic barnacle. To make matters worse, the object appeared to be pulsating. Garth gasped.

"Dear Poseidon! That thing's _inside_ me?"

"And it's alive," added Cyborg. "Whatever it is, it's attached itself to your central nervous system. It's suppressing your telepathy, your power over water, your super strength…_everything_. It's what caused the seizure. If you try to override it and use your powers like that again, the shock could kill you." Garth sunk to his knees in shock.

"H-how? How could this've—unless…" Suddenly, Aqualad remembered that deep booming voice as it threatened Roy. "Oh my God! The attack. Roy, when you were captured by that man, he said something like, 'to make sure you don't attack the moment we release him, attach the…' what did he call it? The 'Machtlos'? This must be it!"

"Titans," cut in Dick, "did you guys get that? We need to start researching it, finding ways to remove it without killing him." He turned the Atlantean, face falling, "Garth, I'm sorry about this, but with this _thing_ on you, you can't fight. I…can't risk having you on the frontlines again. You almost _died _today; I can't let that happen twice. You-"

Roy stood, "Dick," he pleaded, "at least let him stay here. I know he can't fight, but we can't leave him! He'll have nowhere to go!" Speedy paused when he noticed Robin's smiling.

"Roy, from the way you're talking, you'd think I'm heartless. Of course Garth can stay; I wouldn't have it any other way. It's just, until we can get rid of this 'Machtlos'-thing, he can't fight." There was a silence.

Finally, Starfire flew over to Garth, who just seemed to sit there in shock. "Friend," she addressed, clasping his hand in hers. He was virtually unresponsive. "I know that this news is most distressing; please tell us, are you all right?" He briefly glanced up at Kory before returning his gaze to the floor.

"I…I think I need to be alone right now," he managed. With that, Garth stood and promptly left the room.

"I'll go talk to him," suggested Roy as he followed after the Atlantean without waiting for a response from Titans West.

He headed down the hallway to their room, only to find the door closed. Though he was not one to knock, something told Speedy that he ought to respect Garth's privacy. He did so.

"Garth?"

"Go away," was the response. Roy smirked.

"It's my room too, Garth." With that justification, the redhead opened the door, finding it unlocked.

Garth was sitting on the bed with his knees pulled to his chest. Speedy's eyes softened at the sight. He approached the bed and sat next to the boy.

"What's eaten ya, kiddo?" he asked. There were only two people allowed to call Garth "kiddo": Roy and Karen. However, it would seem that the nickname was reserved for Roy alone now.

"Everything," he responded. He leaned against Roy, head resting on the other's shoulder. Roy just ran his hand up and down Garth's side soothingly. "Earlier, when you told me that Mas, Menos, and Karen…that they…they…" The Atlantean did not seem to have the heart to finish.

"I know," Roy assured.

"Well," Garth continued, "I…I didn't know what to do with myself. I just wanted to go to sleep…a-and never wake up." The violet-eyed boy felt ashamed of himself, but all that Roy did was pull him closer. Garth swallowed. "Then H.I.V.E. Five attacked, and…I was…_happy_. I realized that no matter what, I could still fight crime, but now, I can't even do that. Everything's gone. They took everything from me. Now, I'm useless. I can't even be Aqualad anymore. I'm worthless." Garth wanted to cry, to let it all out, but no tears would come.

"Never," cut in Roy. "You…you'll never be worthless, Garth." The addressed did not even appear to be listening.

"Maybe I should just leave."

"Where would you go?" challenged Roy.

"Orin's." Garth was trembling.

"You hate being at Orin's. Remember the baby?"

"Then I'll go to the reef they abandoned me at!" Garth burst out finally, tears finally making their way down pale cheeks. "Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and actually die this time around! It's not like anyone would ca-" Garth did not get the chance to finish, as Roy pulled him so close and crashed his lips against the Atlantean's. The kiss was passionate, fervent, needy. Roy's hands entangled themselves in Garth's smooth dark tresses. It did not take long for Garth to completely melt into the kiss. It was so warm, so wonderful. Everything he had always imagined and more. His mind went blank. He did not care that he was kissing his best friend. He did not care that he was kissing another boy. All that mattered was that this amazing fire, this warmth, this passion, never went away.

Finally, they broke apart, both breathing heavily. "Never talk like that again," murmured Roy as he pulled the Atlantean against him. "Don't talk about leaving or dying, got it?" Garth managed a weak nod in his post-"I-just-made-out-with-Roy-Harper" haze.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, purple eyes widened as a familiar dizziness set in. His breath grew shallower and shallower.

Roy knew that something was not right immediately. "Garth, what's wrong?" he asked urgently.

"W-w-water," the Atlantean managed to gasp out. Eyes widening in realization, Roy nodded. He lifted Garth up and carried him to the bathroom. He put the shower on its coldest setting and placed the boy in the steady stream of water.

Closing the door to prevent the room from flooding, Roy sighed in relief when he heard the Atlantean's breathing regulate.

Speedy only left Garth's side once when he grabbed bedclothes for the both of them. Throughout the entire trip and after, all that the archer could think about was that kiss. When he returned to the bathroom, he took a seat on the ground next to the shower.

He could only see Garth's silhouette through the semi-opaque shower door and wondered if the other was thinking about the kiss too. After a few minutes of silence (save for the shower), Garth turned off the water and came out only to find Roy in boxers and a t-shirt, mask off. He looked into those beautiful green eyes with his own violet ones, half-lidded with exhaustion. The redhead handed him a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt, which the Atlantean quickly changed into.

He took a seat next to Roy on the bathroom floor, but before he could protest being babied, the archer pulled the sleepy boy into his lap. Garth could not help but to feel warm, safe, and strangely giddy as the redhead wrapped his arms around him and rested his chin on the Atlantean's head. The dark-haired boy leaned into the touch with a longing sigh.

"Roy?" he called softly.

"Hm?"

"What does this make us?" There was a pause.

"…I don't know." Garth nodded lightly. It would seem that they had that in common Silence ran rampant.

"Roy?" he repeated in that same dreamy tone.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for everything." Roy just smiled softly and genuinely, placing a quick kiss to Garth's hair.

"Anytime."

***Well, there you have it. I'm sorry if it felt rushed. I think I didn't put enough description in between the dialogue, which made the prose move more quickly. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed it! Remember to vote, and once again, thanks for being awesome!**


	4. Up and Down, Back and Forth

***Things get a little steamy in this chapter. Just a warning. Not anything below the belt. I'm not that crazy…not yet at least. The first draft of this does actually go below the belt, but upon revision, I realized that it's still a little too early for that. They've only just kissed. So, I'm thinking that something even more significant would have to happen before they would actually have sex (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, ZOMG SPOILERZ!!) Please feel free to tell me if you're uncomfortable with sexual content, and I'll see what I can do. True, I am writing this for myself, but everyone's entitled to an opinion, and I'd love to hear yours. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I'd like to thank my very attractive and talented reviewers (****guardyanangel**** and ****equestrian247). And since it's Christmas, I'm throwing in an extra-special gift for you guys. An update both today and tomorrow!!! Well, enjoy, kids. God bless us, everyone.**

**Chapter 3: Up and Down, Back and Forth**

Roy's eyes slowly opened as consciousness returned to him in bits and pieces. As time passed, he began to grow increasingly confused. His brow furrowed. He was in bed. How did he get there? Closing his eyes again, he tried to focus: what _did_ he remember? He remembered the kiss (How could he forget? His lips were still tingling). Garth nearly fainted from dehydration. Roy took him to the shower. They had changed. Then, he pulled Garth into his arms. He could still hear that soft, adorable voice:

"_Roy?...Thank you."_

Still, after that, there was nothing. Roy must have fallen asleep, meaning that someone had carried him to the bed.

If he strained his mind, the redhead could grasp at only a single remnant. He remembered feeling someone curl next to him: Garth. Only the Atlantean could have done so without waking Roy (he was so used to it already, after all).

Still, if Garth had carried Roy to bed and fallen asleep next to him, then where was the purple-eyed boy now? A frightening thought came to Roy as he recalled something darker that the Atlantean had shouted:

"_Then, I'll go to the reef they abandoned me at! Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and actually die this time!"_

That was just something he had said in the heat of the moment, right? He did not actually mean it, right? Oh, God. Did Garth actually do it? Did he return to the ocean to die? No! Roy could not stand it if that happened. In a self-induced panic, Roy jumped out of bed and ran out of the room to find Garth. He could not hear the shower, so Garth had not gone to rehydrate himself. Perhaps the main room, then?

He ran through the halls of Titans' Tower into the room that held virtually everything that the Titans owned. Roy breathed a huge sigh of relief, for there was Garth, in the kitchen, with his back to the archer. The violet-eyed boy appeared to be cooking something.

"Garth?" the redhead called as he approached the other. Garth blinked before turning. He beamed at the sight of Roy.

"Good morning, Roy," he greeted cheerfully. "I was just making some-" He did not get the chance to finish that thought, for Roy dashed over and crashed his lips against the other's. With a soft moan, Garth felt himself become nothing but a pile of nerves. He could feel as Roy's strong arms pulled him so close. Those soft, sensual lips as they pushed against his. And that tongue. Oh that tongue! It glided over and under his own, wrapping around, coaxing, exploring. Hands gripped Garth's ebony tresses, giving Roy more leverage; the tongue penetrated deeper.

Garth's conscious mind was blown to bits, leaving only the most basic of instincts. His body moved of its own volition, gripping Roy as the pleasure coursed through him, making him moan, gasp, whimper. And yet it was not enough, not nearly enough. He wanted to feel more of Roy, _taste_ more of Roy. So much more.

Finally, Garth was left looking dazedly up at the other, lips swollen, cheeks flushed, eyes glazed over, and hair rumpled. Roy grinned boyishly. Garth nearly melted when he saw those green eyes twinkle.

"Funny," murmured the redhead. "I don't think I've ever seen you this disheveled. I like. I like _very much_." Garth could not control the blush that overtook his face at that comment. If he was not so weak-kneed, he would have smacked Roy for making him so embarrassed. Alas, the redhead appeared to be the only thing keeping him upright.

However, Garth grew confused as Roy's smirk became a frown. He placed a hand on the purple-eyed boy's forehead. After a moment, he sighed. "No good," he mused. "You still have a fever." Garth nodded grimly.

"I don't think it'll go away until this…_thing's_ out of me." Roy stared worriedly for a moment.

"Can I see?" he whispered. Garth reluctantly turned so that his back was facing the archer and took a deep breath.

The redhead gently lifted his shirt to reveal a alarming wound. The skin on Garth's back was raised in certain areas, forming the same shape that Roy had seen on the x-ray. The raised skin was strangely discolored. Most disturbing of all was the way that the mass would pulse every so often. It infuriated the archer. Roy's eyes fell on a particular part of the mass that would pulse so often that it almost looked to be sucking the very life out of his friend. Unable to stop himself, he lightly pushed on it.

And Garth screamed like never before.

Roy nearly fell over backwards at the suddenness. He jumped back, and Garth, now with no support, fell to the floor, writhing in pain. His breath came out in sharp pants when he was not screaming his lungs out. His violet eyes were wide as he frantically clutched at his shoulders, trying to reach to source of his agony.

Snapping himself out of his shock, Roy rushed over to the Atlantean. He knelt beside Garth, pulling him into his arms. "Oh, God. Oh God! It's-it's gonna be okay! God, Garth. Garth! Please be okay…" After a few minutes, Garth finally managed to catch his breath, calming himself.

For a while, the violet-eyed boy just basked in Roy's presence, trying to recover. He briefly glanced up at the other. "Hey," Roy greeted softly.

The Atlantean merely moaned out, "Never do that again," in response.

"Never," agreed the archer as he absentmindedly wiped the pain-induced tears from Garth's face. "Sorry." The purple-eyed boy just smiled.

He placed a warm kiss on Roy's cheek. "You're forgiven." There was a comfortable silence. "Hey, Roy," the Atlantean began again. The redhead nodded to show that he was listening. "You need to let go of me; breakfast isn't going to make itself." Roy was about to make a witty retort (something along the lines of, "But if I let you go, then I may never get a second chance to do you on the kitchen floor."), when an _evil _plan made its way into his head. He released the Atlantean without much of a fight.

Garth returned to his cooking, and for a few moments, Roy just watched as the other poured pancake batter into the pan. However, just before Garth could flip the first pancake, Roy struck. He roughly pulled the Atlantean against his body and began kissing and nipping up and down his neck. Garth gasped, jumping enough for the half-cooked pancake to fly into the air and land nearly ten feet away.

Garth's eyes narrowed; he opened his mouth to reprimand the archer for ruining his breakfast, but Roy was quicker. He pinned the Atlantean to the kitchen counter and continued where he left off on his companion's neck. He trailed kisses all over that luscious expanse of flawless pale skin, stopping only to nip at a particularly sensitive area that made Garth release a moan so _delicious_ that it almost made the redhead hard just hearing it. Roy brushed back silky black hair to reveal something that the archer never expected. It was something like a meeting-point of several veins.

Unsure of what to do with the spot, Roy tested it with a soft kiss. Eyes widening, Garth whimpered. The redhead smirked. "Mnnn," was all that the Atlantean could manage as Roy began lavishing the area with attention.

"What was that?" he teased. He bit particularly hard, earning him a whine. "Oh come on; I know you're dying to say it." He tantalizingly ran his tongue over the area; Garth moaned deep. Roy began using his tongue expertly to stimulate the spot.

Garth gasped as he came back to reality. He panicked, violently pushing Roy off of him. He clutched at the spot on his neck, eyes so very wide. He stared at Roy in disbelief.

The redhead pulled himself off the ground. He was about to voice his irritation at being thrown to the ground in the middle of a make-out session, but that was until he took one look at Garth. He had never seen the Atlantean look so frightened. "Garth," he murmured as not to startle the other. "What's wrong?"

"I-I can't—you just—why-" he stammered out. Roy came closer. Garth backed away. "No, stay away!" He backed into the counter. Roy moved to touch the other. Garth was shaking.

He tried to lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but Garth misread the action for him reaching for his neck again. He slapped the redhead hard across the face. "Don't touch me," he growled, "you—you—you, _beast_!" Garth ran out of the room as fast as he could, leaving a very baffled Roy in his wake.

Roy once again pulled himself up, cradling his aching jaw. The archer did not think that he had ever felt a slap quite as painful as that. "Damn Atlantean strength," he muttered indignantly, but somewhere in his mind, he knew that the fact that mild-mannered Garth slapped him was what hurt so much. He followed after.

He found Garth in their bedroom, lying with his face buried in a pillow. Roy's heart ached at the sight of the scene. He approached with caution. Normally, Roy would have taken a seat on the bed and soothingly rubbed circles on Garth's back, but he knew that that was probably not the best idea considering what just happened. He sat beside the bed, leaning against the frame.

"I can't believe you did that," Garth murmured, briefly looking up from the pillow. Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Did what?" he asked, honestly confused. Garth could not possibly be this wound up from simple necking. Garth snapped up from the bed, grasping Roy's collar.

" 'Did what?' '_Did what_?'! You know very well what…you…did…" Garth trailed off as he took one look at Roy's face. Roy seemed genuinely bewildered at the whole situation. At this, the Atlantean cooled off. "You really have no idea what you did, do you?" he inquired softly.

"No," the redhead responded. With a sigh, Garth crawled off the bed and took a seat on the ground next to Roy. He pulled Roy closer and closely inspected his neck. Suddenly, everything clicked.

"…Humans don't have the stigma, do they?"

"No," repeated Roy. There was a silence.

But then, Roy could not stop his smile as Garth rested his head on his shoulder. The Atlantean was comfortable around him again, always a good sign.

"So," began Roy quietly, "what's the stigma?"

Garth closed his eyes, and began the rather long, tedious explanation of Atlantean anatomy. "It's something an Atlantean has in his or her neck (I thought humans had it too, but I thought wrong). It's a coalescence of nerves that when struck in battle, is so painful that it can easily disable even the strongest warrior. That's why most Atlantean's cover theirs with their hair or jewelry or something of the like." Roy nodded. "But, it also has a different sort of use. When…touched…the right way, it causes incredible pleasure. When stimulated enough it causes…I believe you humans call it an…'orgasm'?" Roy nearly choked.

"Y-y-you mean I almost—!" Garth nodded, unable to hide his blush. Roy's eyes widened. "Oh my God…no wonder you were so…oh God, Garth, I _violated_ you. If I'd known I never would have—!" Garth just nodded again.

"I know, Roy; I know. You see…in Atlantis, we only let a _very_ intimate lover touch the stigma…" Roy closed his eyes in shame.

"I never should have gone near it."

Garth gazed up at Roy sadly. _"That's just the thing, Roy"_ he thought_, "I don't even know what I wanted you to do anymore."_

"God, you must _loathe_ me now. I'm so-"

"Roy," he cut in softly, "I wouldn't be resting my head on your shoulder if I hated you." They were silent for a moment more.

"So, this thingy causes pleasure whenever someone touches it?" asked Roy. Garth shook his head.

"No, only when you touch it a certain way. If you used your mouth, yes. But if you were to just stroke it with your fingers or something, it'd probably just calm me dow—oh…" Roy began stroking the "stigma." He smiled as Garth slid into his lap, purring like a kitten. He watched, amazed, as the tension just seemed to melt off the other. He was about to end his gentle ministrations to let Garth rest, but the Atlantean just shook his head.

"Mm…don't…stop…" he managed sleepily. Roy chuckled, continuing where he left off. He watched the other with a pleased smile.

It was insane how many emotions Garth could bring out in him, from content to anxious to playful to angry to anxious again and back to content in the space of only minutes. He had never experienced anything quite like it.

Who was he kidding? How could he and Garth possibly _just_ be friends? When had this happened? When had everything changed? Was it when Garth had cried himself to sleep in Roy's arms all those nights ago? Or perhaps it was that horrible night when he had carried the Atlantean all the way from Steel City, when he had realized that Garth was all that he had left? Maybe he did not have feelings for Garth after all. Maybe he was just clinging to the last remnant of his family, his home.

But family members didn't make out.

It was all so confusing, leading Roy in so many different directions. All that he could be sure of was that he needed this, and that was all that mattered.

Garth shifted in his arms. The redhead looked down only to be met with a pair of violet eyes so bright that they appeared to be glowing. Roy had never seen the other's eyes do _this_ before. It unnerved him.

"Garth?" he called uncertainly. "What's wr-" Garth sat up and flung himself into Roy's arms, burying his face in the archer's chest. He was trembling. "Hey, calm down. Why the sudden clinginess?" he joked in an attempt to hide his anxiety. Garth just shook his head as he murmured something unintelligible. "What?"

"D-don't go…" the Atlantean uttered, looking up at Roy with mad eyes. "Don't go." Roy was beyond concerned at this point.

"Hey," he attempted to reason, "I'm not going anywhere. Who said I was?" Again Garth shook his head.

"Something's going to happen to you," he continued, sounding truly afraid, which only managed to scare Roy in turn. Garth's eyes were frantic and tearful. "Something's going to happen; you can't go." Roy was too shocked to respond. "Something's going to happen to you," he repeated. "You can't go! Don't go!" He sobbed, clutching onto the redhead. "I can feel it; something bad's going to happen to you! Don't go, Roy! Please!" This only succeeded in frightening the archer further. Garth was not dreaming or hallucinating; he knew exactly who was in front of him, and that made the state seem all the worse.

Finally, Roy snapped himself out of his shock-induced trance. He grabbed Garth by the shoulders. "Garth," he called sternly. "Look at me." He cupped Garth's cheek, coaxing the other to meet his eye. "Garth, nothing's going to happen. I'm not going anywhere." He pulled the Atlantean close. "It's going to be okay." Garth seemed to calm.

For a few moments, there was silence, before a soft moan escaped the purple-eyed boy. "Oh," he shifted in Roy's arms. "W-what…happened?" he managed dreamily. "Roy?" The archer was not sure how to respond to this sudden change in his companion. "Roy…" he dabbed at his cheeks, "why am I crying? What—oh…my head—" Before he could continue questioning, Roy pulled him close, so very close, cradling him. Finally, the pent up emotions from the past week caught up to him, and for the first time in months, Roy began to cry. He sobbed, burying his face in Garth's hair. And the latter just let him, knowing that the redhead needed this. He smiled sympathetically, gently rubbing soothing circles on his back. "Hey, it's okay," he comforted softly. "Everything's going to be just fine. Shhh…" And Roy cried harder. He cried for himself, for his fallen comrades, and most of all, for Garth.

***Was that not the trippiest thing you've ever read? I hope so because with Kaiser fanfics, you get what you pay for…absolutely nothing! Jk, jk, don't worry, the next few chapters will be back to normal. So feel free to wipe that craziness from your mind. ;) Well, I was pretty exhausted when I proofread, so sorry about the mistakes. Merry Christmas all! I love ya!!**

**P.S. I just added a bit, when I looked through it again this morning. Hope it didn't bother you. **


	5. Happiness is a Warm Gun

***Merry Christmas again! Here's the second part of your gift. Well, I've been spending my Christmas watching Doctor Who, because I'm just a nerd like that. Tennant was my first Doctor, but I've seen McCoy, Davison, Tom Baker, and Eccleston. I'm watching the 1****st**** season of the new Doctor Who, so I've been spending time with Eccleston and Rose. Wow, sorry about that. Just had to nerd out on you for a moment there. I'm also sorry about the craziness that was the last chapter. Hopefully this one will be more coherent. ;)**

**P.S.**

**This chapter is dedicated to an awesome, frickin' Beatles song, right off of The White Album. Note that this song is supposedly about heroin. **

**Notes: In the comics, Roy was addicted to heroin, so Green Arrow kicked him out of the house. Black Canary helped him through his addiction, but since my story is based more on the show than the comic, I'm going to just say he had to do it on his own. Roy's first flashback, is actual dialogue from the comic.**

**Chapter 4: Happiness is a Warm Gun**

Speedy spent the rest of the day in a deep depression. He remained in bed either in a fitful rest or staring morosely at the wall. He did not cry, though he longed for some kind of release. Garth was willing to stay by his side for as long as he was needed. He wanted so badly for some semblance of happiness to penetrate through Roy's melancholy.

Sometimes, Garth would lie next to him and gaze at the silent redhead. Other times, he would sit up and lightly stroke his hair. Still, no matter what the Atlantean was doing, Roy could feel concern radiating off him like a light. He was not sure whether he wanted to internalize the worry, making Garth's light his own, or smother it, leaving them both in the darkness.

"Was it something I did?" whispered Garth after hours of silence. Roy's immediate instinct was to shake his head, but he could not find the strength to answer. Garth did not press further.

There was a knock on the door. "Hey, guys! Breakfast! Wakey, wakey, tofu eggs and bakey!" Garth looked from whom he knew was Beast Boy from behind the door to the unresponsive Roy beside him.

"Okay, thanks, Gar, we'll come if we're hungry!" Garth waited until he was sure that the green boy had left before turning back to Roy. "Do you want me to stay…or would you prefer if I left?" Roy said nothing; he did not know what he wanted anymore. "Please, talk to me, Roy…" Could Garth not see that Roy could barely move his head, let alone speak? He wanted so badly to say something, _anything_, to Garth, but his mouth remained still. He wanted to grasp Garth's hand to comfort the other, but his body remained motionless.

"Roy…don't make me use telepathy on you." Suddenly green eyes widened.

"No," he murmured, voice hoarse, "you can't. Vic said it could kill you." Once the first word escaped him, Roy found talking to be easier and easier. Garth said nothing, just wrapped his arms around the redhead.

"Roy," he called soothingly.

"Garth, go with Gar. I'll be fine." The Atlantean was uncertain.

"I…okay, just be okay, all right?" The redhead gave a curt nod. "And…please get some rest. I'll come back soon." Before Garth could stand, Roy pulled him in for a chaste kiss.

"I'll be waiting," was all that the redhead said before he sent Garth off. When the door finally closed, Roy felt the light go out. All that he wanted to do was sleep. He had not felt this terrible since he kicked the addiction. He remembered the dysphoria, the withdrawal. God, those were bad times. Even now, he still felt cravings.

Titans East had figured it out right away. Whenever Roy had wanted to submit, his team would be right there, comforting him. Karen would bake him something very sweet, and whenever he would stare hauntingly at the veins in his arms, she would force another baked good on him. Mas and Menos were too young to understand, but they tried to help in their own way. When he would start to pace or fidget restlessly, they would get him to run around with them or play a game. Then, there was Garth. Garth had given him someone to lean on. If he asked for anything, _anything at all_, by God, the Atlantean would get it for him. Some things never change.

But some things do.

Karen, Mas, and Menos, they would never be there for him again. Roy did not think he could do this anymore. Suddenly, he felt like calling Ollie. He had not had a civil conversation with Ollie since he had been kicked out of the house. There was a first time for everything, right? Roy wandered over to the desk where he found a phone. He dialed the number that he had memorized long ago.

The redhead was disappointed to hear the answering machine.

"Ollie," Roy greeted brusquely, "it's me. Call me back as soon as you get this. It's urgent." Without even a "talk to you soon," the redhead hung up.

Meanwhile, Garth wandered mindlessly down the halls of Titans' Tower. He looked out the windows at the giant cityscape where it met with a murky ocean. The clouds above reflected in the waters, making them appear an unappealing blue-gray.

The Atlantean stopped, closing his eyes with a sigh. He was so worried about Roy, so very worried. The archer was being so distant, so depressed; he hated when he got like this. Maybe he should go back to keep Roy company…but then again, Roy seemed to want to be left alone. But was that best for him?

With another sigh, Garth slid his back down the wall until he was once again seated. He missed Karen. She would know what to do. She always did. And the twins. They always seemed to know exactly how to cheer Roy up. He could still hear them dashing down the hallway: "Mas y Menos, si podemos!"

They were gone now, all of them.

Garth buried his face in his knees. He wished Roy was there, holding him close, as he had when he had first broken the terrible news to the Atlantean. He wanted Roy to kiss him again, to stroke his hair and tell him that everything was going to be all right.

God, was he being selfish. Roy was in a rut, and all Garth was thinking about was his own feelings. But he just wanted to be held so badly, to be comforted.

And were Roy in a better mood, he would have, without a second thought. Garth recalled his question from the night before: _"What does this make us?"_ What _did_ it make them? What did Garth really want?

"Friend," came the voice of a familiar Tamaranean. Starfire knelt down to be at Garth's level. "Why do you sit on the ground and partake in the 'moping'?" He weakly smiled back at the pretty girl who sat down beside him.

"Kory," he began quietly. He and Starfire were very similar sometimes; perhaps she could help him figure out his own feelings. "Can I ask you a…personal question?"

Koriand'r beamed. "Oh! Of course you may." With a soft sigh, the Atlantean nodded.

"Have you ever been in love?" Kory blushed, but not one to be rude, she nodded.

"Oh, um…yes," she began sheepishly. "I suppose that I have been in the love." Garth merely smiled encouragingly. "Yes, I am in love with a dear friend of mine."

"_With a certain leader of Titans West whose name I won't bother to mention,"_ thought Garth. However, instead of voicing his sarcasm, the Atlantean merely asked, "What made you fall in love with this person?" Starfire blushed a deeper shade of red.

"Well, when I first came to the Earth, I was an escaped prisoner. He was the first human that I spoke to. We fought, but as soon as he realized that I meant no real harm, he removed my restraints. He was the first human to ever show me kindness.

"He showed me so many things, so many endless wonders. Everything from television to the candy of cotton. I soon realized that were anyone else to have shown me the Earth, it would not have been as beautiful. Once I understood that, I knew that it was what you call 'love'." She smiled brightly at Garth, who stared into space.

Kindness? Wonders of the Earth? Garth remembered when Titans East first formed. Soon after Brother Blood's attack and Cyborg's departure, that was when Garth first truly got to know Roy.

"_What're you doing? Moping around? You miss the ocean, fish-boy?" Roy walked into the main room of Titans East Tower, only to find one certain Atlantean staring forlornly out the window. Speedy took a seat next to him. "You homesick?" Garth frowned; leave it to Roy Harper to pour salt on his wounds. It had only been a couple weeks since they met, but Aqualad already loathed Speedy. He always seemed to have time to annoy Garth to no end._

"_One would have to have a home to be homesick," Garth said coldly. Roy raised an eyebrow. _

"_What about Atlantis? Isn't that where you're from?"_

"_Where I am from, yes," continued Garth in that same frigid tone. "I am from Atlantis, but Atlantis is _not_ my home. Home is where one is welcome. I am not welcome in Atlantis." Garth expected Speedy to call him cynical, stupid, to leave him alone. Instead, the redhead just nodded. _

"_Yeah," he agreed. "That sounds about right."_

"_You…have felt that way too?" Garth asked in disbelief. He had pegged Roy as the type to be well-loved wherever he went. Apparently, he was wrong. Roy flashed him a sad smile. It was answer enough for Garth. For a few moments, the two just sat in silence. It was not uncomfortable, but it was not perfectly pleasant either._

"_I guess," the archer began, "we'll just have to make our own home from now on." Garth cocked his head, confused._

"_What do you mean?" Roy grinned. _

"_Titans East Tower," explained the redhead. "This'll be our _real _home, a place where every member of Titans East is welcome all the time." For the first time since Titans East formed, Garth flashed Roy a genuine smile, almost childlike in its purity. _

Kindness, huh? After that day, whenever Roy would return to the Tower, Garth would say, "Welcome back." Speedy would simply tousle Garth's hair in thanks. And when Garth would return, Roy would give the Atlantean a warm smile that said it all. Karen used to tease them about their routine, but anyone could see how very much it meant to the two.

Garth closed his eyes as another memory enveloped him.

"_Roy, what're you doing?" Garth asked as he walked into the room to find Roy scouring over newspapers. _

_The archer smiled at the question. He had spent weeks trying to get Garth to relinquish his formal speech patterns. It would seem that it was finally taking effect. He beckoned the Atlantean over. Garth took a seat next to him with a small smile. Perhaps it made Roy feminine to find Garth to be adorable sometimes. But, hey, if girls could call each other cute, Roy should at least be able to think it. "I'm looking for a cheap, used car," he responded simply. _

_Garth blinked, "Cars…those are the big mechanical devices in the street, yes?" Roy raised an eyebrow. "Oh…sorry," Garth apologized. "I'm still not very knowledgeable about the surface world yet."_

_The redhead tousled his hair as he was known to do. "Don't apologize for something like that. You apologize too much."_

"_Oh, sorr…er, yes," Garth corrected. "I'll keep that in mind." They were quiet for a moment before Garth's curiosity got the better of him. "So, why are you looking for 'used cars'?"_

_Roy grinned. "I'm sick of running all the way to crime scenes. Karen can fly, and the twins are speedsters, but you and I always fall behind if the crime scene isn't close to the ocean. You get me?"_

"_Um, I think so…are these 'used cars' fast?" Roy sighed._

"_Yes, Garth, cars are fast."_

"_Faster than I can swim?" The redhead shrugged. _

"_That depends. How fast can you swim?"_

"_Um…pretty fast?" Again, Roy sighed, but before Garth could say anything, Roy pinched his cheeks hard enough to hurt. "Ow! What was that for?"_

"_For being a naïve idiot." Though he would never admit to it, Garth pouted. Roy smiled; the Atlantean really _could_ be adorable sometimes. He gently patted the purple-eyed boy's head. "It's okay. I'll just have to be worldly enough for the both of us, cuz I wouldn't have you any other way." Garth could not help but to smile._

As Garth came out of his reverie, he found Kory gazing at him with a bright smile. "Was I of any assistance to you?" Garth nodded.

"Yes…the person I'm thinking about, they helped me to understand the beautiful things on the surface world more than anyone. He gave me my first real home." Kory kept smiling even after Garth let slip the gender of his crush. Who was she to judge? She was in love with a member of a completely different species, after all.

"Do you believe that you may be in the love with this person?" At this, Garth's face fell.

"I…I'm not sure yet…"

"Oh!" cried Starfire; she pulled the Atlantean into a bone-crushing hug. "That is all right, my friend! Give it more of time!" She released Garth, beaming. "Until then, you may come to me if you need more of the talk. We foreigners must stick together!" Garth blinked before nodding.

"Yes," he agreed, "that's right." It was at this moment that Garth truly saw what everyone else seemed to see in Starfire. Kory was a beautiful person, inside and out.

She grabbed his hand. "Come! Let us go eat of the tofu!" She ran, giggling and dragging Garth in her wake.

"Kory," he called as she practically flew him to the kitchen.

"Yes?"

"You're going to make whomever you love a very happy person."

Kory just blushed, smiling.

Roy lay flat on his back, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Without Garth, he was left alone with only bad memories to keep him company.

"_Oh dear God! You __**are**__ on drugs! You're really a junkie!"_

"No," he muttered to himself, "_Don't_ think about that."

_Roy vomited for what felt like the fiftieth time. His entire body was wracked with tremors that never stopped. He fell onto the cold gravel of the streets, shivering like mad, teeth chattering. His breath quickened. Perhaps going cold turkey was not such a good idea after all. _

"Nononononono, come on, Roy, happy thoughts."

_Roy ran through the halls of Titans East Tower, Garth's limp body over his shoulders. Blood ran down from his head soaking his mask; he threw it off. He knew that head wounds had a lot of superficial bleeding, but this just did not seem right. He shrugged it off, knowing that the safety of his team was more important than an impending concussion. He turned the corner into a corridor, which he knew led to a dead end. He stopped dead in his tracks. For there, on the ground, was the broken and bloody body of Mas. And Mas wasn't breathing anymore. _

_Roy fell to his knees and screamed. _

Roy shouted an obscenity as the phone rang, startling him enough to make his heart skip a few beats.

Roy stared at the device. Was he ready to talk to Olli after all this time? Could he bear it? This was not seeming like a good idea anymore. Still, he bit the bullet. This was no longer just about him; it was about Garth too. And Garth needed him to be strong.

He answered the phone.

"Roy? Roy, is that you?" The addressed swallowed the lump in his throat that formed upon hearing his old mentors voice.

"Yeah…"

"Is everything okay? I was pretty worried; you sounded pretty bad on the message. What do you need me for, kiddo?"

That broke the dam for Roy. Ollie was worried. After all the rough patches that they had been through, Ollie was still worried. He still cared about Roy. The redhead began to sob.

He could tell that Ollie was stunned silent upon hearing him burst into tears. In all the years that they had worked together, Roy had never once cried in front of Ollie.

"Jesus, Roy…what happened to you?"

Garth gazed at the plate of tofu bacon and eggs in front of him The feeling of euphoria that talking to Starfire had brought on had faded. His emotional scope had been taken over by a deep-seated worry for Roy. He could not think of much else. He barely even noticed the heated, tofu-related argument that was occurring between Cyborg and Beast Boy. No, all he could think about was Roy.

How could he have left Roy alone? He was obviously depressed. Garth should have never let Roy coax him into leaving his side. What an idiot he was!

"Garth?" called Robin from across the table. "Everything okay?" The Atlantean briefly glanced up at the boy wonder. He shook his head.

"I need to go check on Roy," he murmured. Robin smiled.

"Do you want company?" Garth had a feeling that whatever state Roy was in, it was not one that he would like Dick to see him in.

"No, that's all right. Thanks for offering though." Garth picked up his plate and placed it by the sink. He was too worried to notice that he had not eaten a bite and was being wasteful. All that mattered now was Roy. He headed for their room.

Garth took a deep breath before knocking. "Roy," he called softly, "can I come in?" There was a pause.

"It's just you out there?" Garth bit his lip.

"Yes."

"Okay." The Atlantean gently pulled open the door and closed it behind him. He turned, preparing for the worst. There was Roy, sitting on the bed with an indeterminable expression. The phone was off the hook and on the floor. The sheets near his hands were crumpled up from when he had clutched them out of nerves. His eyes were red-rimmed; Roy had been crying.

"Oh, Roy," he murmured sadly as he approached the bed. However, once he was close enough, Roy quickly reached out, grabbed the Atlantean, and pulled him into his arms. He clutched onto Garth so tightly, as if the world would end if he let go. "Roy," he repeated.

"J-just let me hold you for a bit," he managed. Garth nodded, gently kissing Roy's tear-stained cheek.

"As long as you need to."

Roy was unsure why it felt so comforting to hold Garth, to kiss his hair and whisper sweet nothings. If anything, it should have been the other way around, but then again, if it was Garth who was doing such, Roy would feel uncomfortable. It was almost as though by acting soothing towards Garth, Roy could be sure that all was right with the world. It told him that no matter what horrors he endured, no matter how filthy and loathsome Roy felt at the end of the day, he could always be Garth's hero.

It was times like these that Roy wondered what he would do without Garth. Now that was something too horrible for the archer to even consider.

"Roy?" came that lovely voice.

"Yeah?" Garth let out a longing sigh as Roy began gently stroking his stigma.

"This is nice…" Garth was just short of purring as Roy lightly kissed him.

"Yeah." They lapsed back into a comfortable silence. Garth was so warm. The Atlantean endured so much, and yet, around Roy, he always seemed so fragile, so small. The boy could lift a truck over his head, but with Roy, a person with no super-human abilities, he was just a normal, sweet, little boy. It had been this way for a long time.

_Roy lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He had not spoken to the other Titans in hours. He did not want to. Ollie had called; they had fought again. Roy felt worthless. Not even his mentor wanted him. No one needed Roy around. Perhaps everyone would be happier with him dead. _

_Roy had a knife lying around here somewhere. Maybe it was finally time to end it. He could just slit his wrists, and it would all be over. No one would miss him. Ollie probably would not even come to the funeral. _

_He stared down at the pulsing, blue veins of his wrists. Two slashes. That would be all it would take. Just two. He could just see it. The bountiful, warm blood as it oozed down his arms. The deep panting as the life drained slowly out of him. He would grow cold, shiver. His life flashing before his eyes. Would he dream?_

_He moved to get the knife. It was in his dresser drawer. However, before he could even get off the bed, the doorknob turned. _

_Odd, usually people knocked, especially this late. In fact, who would be sneaking around at this hour? Everyone should have been asleep. _

_The door creaked open, revealing a pale, shaky Atlantean. Before Roy could speak, Garth began to cry. _

"_Garth," Roy began, astonished by the other's behavior. "What's—"_

_Garth stumbled over to the archer's bed, sobbing. He collapsed onto the sheets, burying his face in them. _

_Unsure of what was causing the Atlantean so much pain, Roy just rubbed circles on his back, soothingly. However, Garth continued to cry. _

_The redhead could not bear this any longer. He pulled Garth into his arms and began slowly rocking him. The Atlantean whimpered. "Shhh." he comforted, "it's okay. Shh…"_

"_Roy," Garth managed through fresh tears, "it hurts…it hurts so bad."_

_The archer nodded in understanding. "It's your head again, right?" he murmured quietly, as not to aggravate the other's migraine any further. Garth managed a weak nod. "Don't cry, okay? It'll be over soon."_

"_Roy…make it stop…" He began to sob again. "Please, make it stop."_

_The redhead sighed. "I wish I could. I really do." He gently pressed a kiss to the other's forehead. "I'll do what I can." He continued to rock the Atlantean, lightly running his fingers through soft ebony locks. _

_Garth closed his eyes, focusing on Roy's gentle ministrations. The headache began to slowly ebb away. _

"_Roy," he called in a pain-induced haze. "Don't ever leave me…"_

_The redhead's eyes widened considerably. Could it be that Garth needed him, wanted him? Did he mishear?_

"_I…won't," Roy found himself replying. _

"_Promise?" Could he make such a vow? What about the knife? What about the blood?_

_He would just have to forget about it. Garth needed him more than he needed to escape. _

"_Promise."_

Garth watched sadly as Roy fell into a reverie. He wrapped his arms around the other, lightly, nuzzling his neck. Sighing he murmured, "Roy, I wish you'd tell me what's wrong."

Suddenly, strong arms tightened their hold around the Atlantean. Green eyes met violet. However, before Garth could so much as blink, he was pulled into a deep, passionate kiss. Garth let Roy's tongue explore his mouth, conquering it, claiming it. His mind left on five minutes' notice.

By the time that Garth could recognize where he was again, he was in a panting heap, clutched tightly in Roy's arms. "Roy," he called weakly. Roy merely rested his head on Garth's as he lightly stroked the Atlantean's lips with his thumb.

"Stay with me a while," the redhead practically ordered. With a longing sigh, Garth nodded.

"Of course." Roy was quiet for a long time.

"Garth?" he called finally.

"Yes?" the purple-eyed boy responded softly.

"Promise me something." Garth gazed up at Roy with a concerned expression.

"What?" he inquired.

"Promise me you won't let those bastards take you away…"

"Never," was Garth's immediate response. Roy cracked a smile.

"If they try, tell them they can't have you because you're 'Property of Roy Harper'." Garth beamed. He was glad that the redhead felt well enough to joke again.

"Am I now?" Roy lightly pecked Garth on the lips.

"Yup, you have been since I first beat you in 'The Master's Dimension'." Had anyone but Roy said that, they would have been dead from the moment that the words "beat you" escaped them.

The lapsed back into silence. Roy could not help but to notice as Garth seemed to struggle to stay awake.

"Hey," he called, barely above a whisper. "You okay?" Garth shook his head, unable to keep up the façade of being "just fine." "What's wrong?" asked the archer.

"I've…just been…so tired, lately." Roy frowned.

"That's not right," he murmured. "You've been sleeping a lot. And you're still tired?" Garth managed another small nod in his daze. "What about the headaches? How've they been?" One look from those half-lidded, enervated, eyes said it all.

Roy laid the half-asleep Atlantean on the bed, tucking him in. "Try to get some rest, okay?" Garth did not respond at first.

"Um…Roy," he began in a soft, sheepish voice; Roy thought it nothing less than the cutest sound he had ever heard.

"Yeah?" he responded with warm green eyes.

"Will you lie with me?"

"Of course." He flashed the violet-eyed boy a quick smile before curling up against the other, pulling the Atlantean into his warm embrace. Roy's warmth, scent, and presence, they easily lulled Garth to sleep.

While he watched the other sleep, images made their way into Speedy's head: Karen's dead body, the twins on the ground, bloody, beaten, and bereaved of life, Garth's horrible screams, his seizure, his weakened, crumpled body as it lay still in his arms.

Roy unconsciously pulled Garth closer. "I'll get them for you, Garth. I'll destroy them for Karen and the twins, for us. And," he kissed Garth's forehead, still burning with fever, "I'll protect you. I'll protect you if it's the last thing I do."

It was a promise. Speedy had not broken a promise to Garth yet, and he did not intend to now. For Garth, _his_ Garth.

***Well, I hope that chapter was more enjoyable. Did you like your present?**


	6. Sins of the Father

***Good news everyone! I've been writing the first draft of this on paper and then editing as I typed it up. Well, I just completely filled my first notebook! I'm on my second now…wooh! Yeah, so I'm sorry I didn't update on time (just a little late), but I had a New Year's Party, so I couldn't. It was loads of fun though. You know it's funny. I just realized that I totally forgot to do disclaimers for like the last 3 chapters! Oh well. No biggie, right? You all know that I don't own D.C. comics…if I did, maybe I wouldn't be quite as confused by the continuity of some of these comics. Hell, I don't even understand the Crisis of Infinite Earths. I spent most of that time reading up on it on Wikipedia, shouting, "What the Hell, man! What the Hell!" Sorry, Donna, you know I love you, but what the fuck just happened to your childhood? Yeah, I spent most of that issue crying because I was just so confused. Okay, I'm done now. Anyway, I'd like to thank all my wonderful reviewers…both of my wonderful reviewers (****guardyanangel**** and ****Bizerko-Kittykins****). Damn…I can't think of anything clever to say. Oh well! Maybe next time. Happy New Year!**

**Notes: Okay, I legit have no idea what Aquaman's name is. I've heard Arthur and I've heard Orin. I'm just going to go with Orin. The baby's name is Arthur Jr. I hope. Right, as far as the identity of the random Aqua-villain but I'm not much of a follower of **_**Aquaman**_**, so you can just use your imagination there. As for Garth's backstory before he joined Titans East, well, it's got a little bit of a basis in canon, but not completely. Something similar happened to Garth, but it wasn't quite like this (understatement of the century). Anyway, thanks for bearing with me on this. Also, I'm not sure about who was in the Justice League when, so I'm just going with the classic Justice League plus J'onn and Ollie. Darkseid's one of Superman's archnemeses. He's fought the League before.**

**Chapter 5: Sins of the Father**

It was a small service. The twins did not have family, nor did Karen. Pantha and Jericho came, having worked with Mas before, as did Herald, but having been in a relationship with Karen, he took the loss much harder. Kole and Gnarrk showed up to pay their respects, before returning to the North Pole.

Now, the morning had ended and only Titans West, Speedy, and Garth remained. Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven decided to check the Tower for more clues to the identities of Mas, Menos, and Karen's murderers. Robin, being the best detective in the group, reluctantly went with them.

Only Cyborg, Speedy, and Roy remained. Roy watched sadly as Garth sat on his knees in front of the grave. He had been that way for hours.

Roy turned to Cyborg. "I keep expecting Karen to zap her way out of the grave and say, 'What're you two standing around for? We've got a Tower to rebuild.'"

"Yeah," murmured Cyborg, "I can see that." They looked back at Garth, who had not moved an inch. "It's kinda weird," continued Victor. "I can only remember the funny things about them, the things that made me laugh." The redhead nodded.

"Yeah, we had some fun times, didn't we?"

A couple of hours passed before the rest of the team returned empty-handed. "Whoever did this, they covered their tracks well, _really_ well," explained Robin. "There's nothing more we can do here. We should head back to the Tower and figure out where to go from what we have."

Roy nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly. He approached Garth. "Hey," he called softly, resting a hand on the other's shoulder. "It's time to go." Garth tensed, looking up at Roy with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"What? No! Roy, we can't just leave them here!" Roy's brow furrowed. He knelt down beside the Atlantean.

"I know it's hard, Garth, but we have to. Besides," he began in a lighter tone, "they'd be pissed if you just sat here forever."

"But—" Roy shushed him.

"Don't make me watch you waste away out here…watching that would be worse than Hell. So, please, get up…for me." Garth was silent. He nodded hesitantly through the tears that ran endlessly down his cheeks.

He stood on shaky legs, turning to take one last look at the tombstones. He instantly regretted it as he felt the pull of the graves calling him back. However, before he could crumple, collapse under the weight of his fallen friends, Roy snatched his hand, gripping it tightly, comfortingly. Garth felt his strength return.

"_For Roy," _he thought again and again._ "For Roy." _ With one whispered, "Bye," to Mas, Menos, and Karen, the Atlantean allowed Roy to lead him back to the T-Jet.

Upon entering, Roy pulled Garth into a powerful hug. "You did great," he murmured. Garth simply nodded, letting the redhead's warmth wash over him like a wave. "You all right?" asked the archer when Garth went still. The Atlantean said nothing, causing Roy to sigh. "You've had a rough day. You're probably exhausted." Garth's violet eyes said it all. With a soft smile, the redhead sat down on one of the seats and pulled Garth against him. "That better?" Garth did not respond as his head slid onto Speedy's shoulder.

"Roy?" he whispered sleepily.

"What's up?"

"Why do you take such good care of me?" he managed in a dreamy tone. "You've had as bad a time as me, if not worse, so why do you always insist on taking care of me?" Roy lightly tousled his hair.

"Because I'd probably go crazy if I didn't," he uttered truthfully. "So _let_ me take care of you, okay?" They were quiet. Roy needed Garth as much as Garth needed Roy. They had to stay together.

"Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm…so tired." Garth did not have to speak another word.

"I know…try to rest, Babe."

"Babe?" Roy flushed a deep red, as the petname slipped out without permission from his brain. "Babe," Garth tried curiously. "I like it." Roy smiled.

"Okay, so from now on, you'll be known as 'Babe,' but only I'm allowed to call you that." Garth nodded.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Garth managed another small nod before drifting off.

"How's it going back here?" asked Robin as he approached the two from the controls. Roy shrugged.

"He's been like this the past couple days," explained Roy. "He can't seem to stay awake." Dick frowned.

"I'd bet anything it's that _thing_ on his back doing this to him." Roy simply nodded.

"I know…I just…hate seeing him like this…"

The boy wonder took a seat next to Speedy. "You're a man of action, Roy. When there's a problem, you wanna fix it yourself, but this is something you can't do much about. I'm sure that's what's bothering you." Roy let out an exasperated sigh at the spot-on analysis.

"Then what would you have me do?" the redhead snapped. Dick smiled.

"Just help him through it. He'll be all right. We'll make sure of it." Speedy swallowed, deciding that if anyone could help him sort out his feelings for Garth, it would be Dick.

"Dick?" The other turned. "C-can you meet me on top of the Tower when you have a sec? I need to talk to you about something in private." Dick nodded.

"Sure thing." With that, he walked back over to the controls.

"Roy…?" The addressed looked to the sleeping Atlantean leaning on him.

"Yeah?" There was no response. The violet-eyed boy was still fast asleep. He lightly nuzzled the other's neck.

"D-don't leave…something's going to happen to you." Roy's heart sank into his stomach as he remembered when the Atlantean had uttered those words before (How could he forget?). He panicked.

"Garth, you've said that before," he began, trying to calm himself to no avail. "What do you mean?"

"He's here for me…don't go. Don't get involved." Roy did not remember this part of the mantra. He was not sure who "he" was, but the redhead did not like this one bit.

"Garth," he called loudly, shaking him a little more than lightly. Garth's eyes snapped open.

"Huh? What?" Roy let out a huge sigh of relief as Garth snapped out of it. "What happened?" Garth asked, looking to Roy for answers. The archer was about to answer when he stared into large purple eyes. Suddenly, he could not find it in himself to tell Garth of his trances.

Instead, he merely whispered, "It's nothing, just some turbulence." He pressed a kiss to soft ebony locks. "Go back to sleep." Garth obeyed without a second thought.

When they finally landed at the Tower, they were surprised to find that they were not alone: another jet had landed on the Tower's deck.

"Titans," called Robin. They all snapped to attention. "Unidentified aircraft at three o' clock. Be ready for anything." Speedy pulled out his bow and quiver from his bag. Robin slipped on his utility belt. Roy shook Garth awake.

"Garth," he whispered, "we may be looking at some trouble, so if something happens, I want you to hang back." Before Garth could even begin to retort, the redhead put a finger to the other's lips. "No buts, Garth, stay behind me, okay?"

"Roy…" the Atlantean whined, but as soon as he gazed into determined, anxious green eyes, he faltered. "Oh…all right." Roy smiled, giving Garth another quick peck to his hair.

"There's a good boy." Somehow it did not seem condescending coming from Roy. "Come on; let's see what's up."

The Titans cautiously exited the jet, Robin and Starfire at the lead. Garth reluctantly stayed just behind Roy. It felt demeaning, of course; it was frustrating to be so vulnerable. Still, being behind Roy, he felt an unbelievable comfort and security. Nothing could happen to Garth so long as Roy remained right where he was. Not even an army of Kryptonians could make him feel safer.

They approached the unidentified aircraft slowly but surely, but as soon as they were close enough, Roy recognized it. "Wait a minute," the archer began. "That's a JLA jet!"

There was a collective expression of shock. "Why would the Justice League be here?" inquired Raven.

"It's not necessarily the League," cut in Cyborg. "Someone could've stolen one of their jets."

"Well," began Robin, "only one way to find out."

However, before anyone could make a move towards the jet, a loud voice rang out from it.

"Hey, Roy? Is that you guys down there? Where've you been? We've been waiting for hours."

Green eyes widened as Roy recognized the booming voice. "Ollie?" he called out in complete and utter shock.

The Green Arrow jumped down from the exit hatch, landing gracefully in front of Roy.

"Ollie…what're you doing here?" The blond man smiled awkwardly. He was losing some of his confidence now that he was standing right in front of Roy.

"Look, kiddo," he began. "I talked to the League about what happened to you guys in Steel City." Roy sighed; he should have known that Ollie would do this. That phone call seemed stupider and stupider by the moment. Still, at least he and his mentor were on talking terms.

"What did the League say?" Ollie shrugged.

"It's hard to say. Superman wants us to beef up your security. Frankly, so do Aquaman and I. The Flash's worried, but wants you guys to have your space. J'onn agrees with him. Wonder woman's on the fence—"

"What'd Batman say?" interrupted Dick.

"Nothing, he wanted to do more research first. Speaking of him, Batman wants to speak to you as soon as possible. And I'd like to talk to you, Roy." Another man stepped out of the jet: Aquaman.

"And I you, Garth," he suggested sternly. Roy watched, disgusted by the way Aquaman made Garth fidget. He nonchalantly rested an arm on the violet-eyed boy's shoulder to comfort him. He and Aquaman really must have had a _huge_ fight for the younger Atlantean to be so nervous.

"Oh…yes," he managed. "I will speak with you whenever you should require my company." The redhead's eyes narrowed. Now, the older man had made Garth regress into his formal speech patterns. He did not like this at all.

He pulled Garth aside as Aquaman and Ollie were sidetracked by the other Titans. Garth would not meet Roy's eye. After making sure that no one was watching, Roy cupped Garth's cheek, gently coaxing him to look upwards until once again, bright green met stunning purple.

Garth looked about ready to cry.

Roy looked about ready to _kill_ Aquaman.

Still, he knew that the mere idea was preposterous, so he decided instead to comfortingly stroke Garth's cheek.

"Hey," he murmured. "What's wrong?" It was then that Roy noticed that Garth was gripping his hand for dear life.

"I…I can't do this right now…I can't. I can't!"

"Shhhh…let's go down to our room; you can tell me everything down there." He helped Garth over to the others.

"Hey, Ollie, I know we have some things to talk about, but Aqualad's really sick. I'm gonna get him into a bed, and we can talk later, okay?" Roy did not wait for a response from Aquaman, Ollie, or the other Titans before whisking Garth to their room.

He took a seat on the bed, beckoning the other over. However, before he could even blink, he had a sobbing Atlantean curled up in his arms. Roy did not spare a moment.

"Hey," he soothed, confused by the other's sudden break down. "Don't cry. Shh, it's okay." Garth began babbling in Atlantean. Roy could not understand a word of it, but he did not like the violet-eyed boy's pleading, frantic tone. He pulled the other into a crushing embrace. Garth just continued to cry, still sobbing out Atlantean.

"Shhh, Babe, don't cry. It's just Roy. It's just Roy." He lightly petted the stigma. Garth's sobs calmed. "That's it. Shh…" He smiled as Garth nuzzled his way into the crook of Roy's neck. "Good boy," he repeated soothingly.

Roy could feel Garth relax in his arms. His eyes were closed. "Thank you, Roy," he managed softly.

"God…what happened, Garth? What's bothering you?" Garth said nothing. Roy merely kissed his forehead. "Come on, Babe, out with it."

"Can't we just lie here for a while?"

" 'Course we can, but answer the question first." Garth stayed silent, causing Roy to sigh. He kissed those soft lips. "Please, Garth, tell me." He smiled, lightly playing with long ebony tresses. "Don't hold it in, Garth; don't be like me. It's bad for you." There was a silence.

"It was a couple weeks before Karen and I decided to form a Titans East to fight Brother Blood." Roy nodded encouragingly. "It was really quiet in the ocean. The baby was growing, and my resentment was complicating our relationship: I wanted to be his older brother…but I also wanted to…take his place." Roy nodded. He leaned against the headboard, Garth lying comfortably on his chest.

"Things got crazy after that. I got sick, really sick. The doctors were baffled since I was so healthy before. They thought I had some kind of infectious disease and wanted to study me more, but I knew that wasn't it. I think it was just too hard for me to be near them all. It was destroying me to see them so happy without me. I was bedridden for a while. Orin and Mera, they were so worried. It was nice to be remembered for once." Roy held onto Garth a little tighter. The Atlantean smiled.

"Then, Orin got called off to help the League. It was just me, Mera, and baby Arthur. I started getting worse. I could hardly see straight. Half the time, I could barely stay awake.

"Of course, something bad had to happen. There was a cave nearby. A lot of fish were trapped. They called for help. Orin couldn't respond, so I had to."

"In your condition?!" burst out Roy.

"It was stupid, I know, but a part of me…just wanted to be acknowledged, you know? I craved recognition. I thought that if even one of those fish were to thank me, I'd be okay. And…Roy you're suffocating me." Garth referred to the way that Roy was holding him, as if he would die if he let go.

"I had no idea how bad it was. God, if I'd known—" Garth put a finger to the redhead's lips.

"You had your own problems to deal with, Roy," he comforted. "You had no idea that this was happening." Roy would not take such an answer.

"There must've been something I could've done. Even now, there has to be something I can do. What can I do for you?" Garth shifted in Roy's arms.

"I'm fine, Roy. It…hurts to remember all this, but it also makes me feel better to know that _you_ know." The archer nodded.

"Okay, well, what happened next?"

With a sigh, Garth began again. "I swam to the cave and freed the fish with my strength."

"Did they thank you?" Garth nodded into Roy's chest.

"But, I didn't have much time to let that sink in. Right after I let the fish escape, I found myself face to face with one of Aquaman's nemeses. I asked him what he wanted, and he said he wanted me. We fought, but I hadn't the strength to put up a good fight. He knocked me unconscious and took me to his layer. There, he kept me chained and drugged. He kept asking where Orin was; I told him nothing." Roy's eyes widened.

"Oh, God, Garth, they didn't…torture you, did they?" Garth smiled, lightly kissing his cheek.

"Don't worry, Roy; I've had worse." Roy just frowned, not entirely convinced. "I was already sick," Garth continued, "so I didn't do well in those conditions, but eventually, (I don't know how he managed it) he got the baby too. We were held near each other. I could hear him screaming, and I wanted more than anything to get to him, but I was sick, drugged, and wounded. I couldn't summon any of my strength.

"Finally, both the baby and I were forced into the same room. I was kept chained, and the baby was exposed on a pedestal. Under each of us was a circular platform that would lower should the order be given. I was so confused by the change in scenery.

"But when Orin appeared, beating guards on the way in, everything began to make sense. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw us. He immediately ran towards us, but got severely shocked. There was a static barrier surrounding each of us. That's when the villain appeared again. He set up a terrible ultimatum. Underneath both the baby and me was a chamber with the Kraken, an unstoppable sea-monster.

"The villain promised that he would release the barrier around only _one_ of us, allowing Aquaman to go free with that one. The other would be dropped right into the Kraken's clutches."

"You don't mean—!" cut in Roy. Garth nodded.

"Yes, Orin was given a terrible choice: me or the baby." Garth's voice was shaking, but he tried to keep himself under control.

"Garth," interrupted Roy again, eyes pleading. "Tell me that Aquaman found a way out. Please, tell me he didn't have to choose." This broke the dam for Garth. He buried his face in Roy's chest, crying softly.

"N-no, Roy. O-orin was g-given a choice, an-and h-h-he chose…he chose the baby!" Garth sobbed brokenly as old scars returned to the surface. He could still feel the fear, the horror, as if it had happened yesterday.

Roy lightly kissed Garth's forehead. "Shh…Oh God, Garth, don't cry…shhh, you're breaking my heart here."

"S-s-s-sorry," the Atlantean managed.

"Don't be," whispered Roy, holding him close. "You can break my heart if you need to." Garth calmed after a few minutes of Roy kissing him and whispering sweet nothings.

"Th-they dropped me into the chamber," the violet-eyed boy continued after a few minutes. "It was…gruesome. Bones and dried blood everywhere. I was so scared. I was sick, drugged, and chained to the sea floor. I didn't stand a chance. The Kraken nearly bludgeoned me to death. There was so much blood, so many broken bones, so much pain." Garth was crying again. "By the end, I was lying on the ground, unable to feel anything. I was coughing up a lot of blood, and I couldn't see anymore. The Kraken was done playing and moved to eat me. It had me in-between its teeth when Orin finally came back for me.

"He beat the Kraken and carried me back to Atlantis. I was unconscious for days. It took me weeks to recover. Even then, I only got sicker. I lost control of my power and was bedridden again." Garth's tears were endless. "Finally, I couldn't take anymore. I couldn't watch anymore. Everyday was a reminder of how he abandoned me. I ran away.

"That's when I started tracking Brother Blood. It wasn't he who messed with my telepathy; it was my own memories. Orin's abandonment followed me everywhere, disrupting my powers. I couldn't track Blood on my own anymore. That's why I asked the Titans for help. Then, I teamed up with Karen, and the rest is history."

Roy pulled Garth into a passionate, needy kiss. He willed desperately for Garth to feel comforted. He stroked the stigma. Garth fell faint in his lap, unable to resist the calming sensation that overwhelmed his emotions. He pulled Garth close, so very close. "Shhh," he soothed, "No one's going to do that to you again. Not while I'm here." Garth sighed softly. He was still crying, but he also believed Roy, believed him to the ends of the Earth.

He was lulled to sleep.

"No wonder," Roy whispered. "Oh, babe, I had no idea. None. Don't worry. I'll never let _anything_ that terrible happen again." Garth, shivering in his sleep, curled closer to the redhead. "You'll always be the one I'd choose."

Roy's eyes widened as those words slipped out. Was it true? Did Roy really value Garth's life above _all _others? As he stared at Garth, the Atlantean drowsily snuggling closer, whispering a soft "Roy," as his tears began to stop, the only answer could be yes. Garth was number one in Roy's book.

Was this love? Or was he just too afraid of losing another friend to let go? Roy sighed exasperatedly. He needed to have that conversation with Dick,_ now_.

He kissed Garth softly, tucking him cozily under the blanket. "I'm going away for a bit, but I'll be back as soon as I can. I won't be gone long." He petted Garth's hair. "Be a good boy while I'm gone, okay?" The Atlantean mumbled softly in his sleep. Smiling, Roy kissed him one last time before leaving the room. He turned out the lights, murmuring, "Get some sleep," on the way out.

Roy walked over to the main room of Titans Tower, where Ollie appeared to be telling stories to the Titans West. Aquaman was on the side, seeming less than engaged.

"So then Roy—" Roy forced his trademarked smirk back on.

"What's this about me?" the redhead inquired as he strolled over to the table.

"Oh nothing," explained Ollie, placing a fatherly hand on Roy's shoulder, "just telling your friends some embarrassing stories from your childhood."

"…I hate you." Ollie just laughed. For a moment there, it almost seemed like they were back to the way that they used to be. Then, the moment passed, dream-like, and the two were still awkward around each other, as if each was afraid that the other would break if they tread too carelessly.

"How's Garth," interrupted Aquaman seriously. Roy's eyes narrowed.

"He's sleeping," the younger archer replied coldly. "He's feeling pretty sick." _"No thanks to you,"_ thought Roy bitterly. Speedy turned back to the Green Arrow. "Ollie, I know we need to talk, but I need to speak with Robin first. After that, I'm all yours." Ollie nodded.

"Of course…whatever you need." They were still walking on eggshells around each other, but at least they were talking.

"Okay," cut in Dick, walking over to Roy, "to somewhere more private, then?" Roy nodded. Thus, the two headed up to the top of the tower.

Roy enjoyed having the warm Jump City breeze tousle his hair. The air smelled fresher here. The sun looked brighter and the sky bluer. It was easier to think. He sat down near the ledge, Dick beside him.

"Feels like you're on top of the world, doesn't it?" murmured the latter. Roy listlessly nodded.

"Something like that." Dick rested a hand on Roy's shoulder.

"So" he began with a sympathetic smile, "what's going on?" The redhead shrugged.

"I'm not entirely sure…"

"Well, why don't you start from the beginning?" Roy let out an exasperated sigh. He would have gladly started "from the beginning," if he had known when everything started. He had no idea when he started viewing Garth as more than a friend, or if he even did for that matter.

"I have feelings for someone," he tried, "at a time like this. At least, I think I have feelings…maybe I don't."_ "Don't sound so sure of yourself, Roy," _he thought sarcastically,_ "Someone might get the impression that you actually understand what's going on."_

"Okay," began Dick, "let's try to put this together: you don't know if you have feelings for this person, and you also feel guilty about possibly having them, given the current circumstances. Do I have this down?"

Roy chuckled. "Dick, I think you deserve a Nobel Prize for being able to piece _that_ together from the gibberish I just spouted."

Dick grinned. "It's a gift."

Sighing again, Roy stared down at the ocean below. When was it that the sea went from "just water" in his mind to "where Garth's from"?

"Roy," Robin called, snapping the archer out of his own thoughts.

"What is it?"

"…It's not…Kory…is it?" It took Roy a moment before he truly understood what Dick was asking. He smiled.

"No. She's gorgeous, but it's not her. Your relationship is safe." The boy wonder blushed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Sure you don't, Dick. Sure you don't." They were silent for a moment more.

"Is it Raven? Because if it is, she's more sensitive than she puts on, so be careful with—"

"Dick," cut in Roy, "it's not Raven either."

"Who is it then?" The redhead's eyes narrowed.

"Why does it matter?" he snapped. Dick took note of how defensive Roy was.

"Depending on who it is, you might have to go about things differently. Roy," he began gentler, "you can tell me. I'm your friend." Roy closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands. He muttered the name. "Sorry, didn't catch that." He repeated it at the same volume. "Still didn't hear you." Roy tried again, still below Dick's range of hearing. "Roy?" The addressed gritted his teeth.

"It's Garth!" he shouted to the heavens, finally. "It's Garth, okay!" He buried his face in his knees. "Oh God, Dick…it's Garth. It's Garth." Robin closed his eyes, deep in thought. For a while, he could not think of anything to say, not a word.

Eventually, he murmured, "This…complicates things."

"What do you mean?"

"Roy, look at me." He met Dick's eye. "There're two scenarios going through my head right now." Roy nodded. "One is that you're legitimately in love with Garth—"

"_Maybe_ in love," corrected Roy.

"Okay, one is that your legitimately _maybe_ in love with Garth. And the other…Roy, you just experienced a significant loss. You're probably not in the best mental state right now."

"_Tell me about it,"_ thought Roy.

"It could be that you're confusing your need to be near Garth for your being in love with him. I mean, say I (God forbid) lost everyone but Raven; I'd want to stay near her more than anything, to protect her, but that's not love, that's sort of like a fear that's grown into a compulsion. Obsessive love. Right now, I don't have feelings for her other than friendship, but in that situation, I might not know the difference." Speedy clenched his fists.

"So, you're saying this whole thing might just be a psychological _syndrome_? My head might just be _fucking_ with me?" Robin reluctantly nodded.

"It could be the case."

"Well, how am I supposed to know the difference?" Roy growled out. So it could all just be some big lie? Was it not real when Roy held Garth in his arms, letting him curse the redhead to high heaven and hit him just to comfort the other? Was it fake when they kissed that night? Was it all just some plot of his mind's to torment him?

"Well," began Robin, "I think I have a couple ideas to help us differentiate between the two."

"Go on."

"Well, first of all, I'm thinking if it's mistaken love, you wouldn't be sexually attracted to him since, in reality, he would just be a friend."

"Dick…we kissed."

"That doesn't necessarily mean—"

"Multiple times…with tongue." Dick opened his mouth to retaliate. "And I liked it," continued Roy, "I liked it a lot." Roy decided that it was probably best to leave out the bit about Garth's stigma.

Robin smiled. "Okay, this's looking good for the 'just plain possibly love' side. I was also thinking that if you loved him _before_ the incident, that could completely negate the theory. Can you think of anything that could point to that?"

Roy scoured his memory for traces of love for Garth before that terrible night. There were so many times that he connected with Garth, so many times when they protected and comforted each other, so many times when the Atlantean was able to bring a smile to his face when no one else could. When he and Garth would meet eyes and trade warm smiles, was that love? What about when Garth would return from Atlantis, sick from watching his former family life crumble, and Roy would just sit with him at night in the Titans East Tower kitchen? Or when Roy would annoy Garth to no end just because he enjoyed the cute expression on the violet-eyed boy's face when he was angry?

Roy just did not know anymore. He looked Dick in his clear blue eyes.

"Dick, I just don't know," he answered simply. Robin nodded in understanding.

"We're our own worst judges, but I can't tell you what you're thinking. I can only guess."

"What now?"

"Well," he shrugged, "guess we're just going to have to do this the old-fashioned way." Speedy raised an eyebrow.

"What, dare I ask, is the 'old-fashioned way'?" Dick smirked.

"Roy, I have a plan…"

Orin walked through the halls of Titans' Tower, looking for the room that the Titans had pointed out to be Garth's. He was sorry, so very sorry. How could he have just abandoned Garth there? He should have found a way to save Arthur Jr. _and _Garth. Ever since then, Orin and Garth's relationship had been strained (for good reason). Now, all Orin wanted to do was reconnect with the boy, just like when they were a team. But first, he had to protect the younger from whoever threatened him and murdered his friends.

He found the right door. Knocking lightly, he was frustrated to be met with no answer. Again he knocked, louder this time. Nothing. Giving up, he turned the doorknob and entered slowly. It was dark. He could see the form of someone on the bed: Garth. Orin closed the door behind him.

A soft groan resounded from the bed. "Mmn…Roy?" Orin grimaced. Little Garth sounded weak, so very weak. He could not find the strength to respond. "Oh, Roy, I had the most wonderful dream. I dreamt that Karen and the twins were with us at the Tower and…" He paused. " You're not Roy…are you?"

"No, Garth," murmured Aquaman. "It's me."

Suddenly, Garth felt like crying. "Oh," he replied, voice pained. "Hello, Orin." He turned on the lamp.

Immediately, Orin noticed Garth's pale, shaking body. He did not look that ill earlier, and Orin was sure that he knew the reason why. "Is it…really that hard to be near me?" Garth gazed with a miserable expression. "Do not think I have not noticed, Garth. Whenever you come to Atlantis to visit, you are healthy when you come and ill when you leave. Is it really because of me, Mera, and the baby?" Orin stared at his ward. The violet-eyed boy was crying.

"Yes," Garth confessed. "Yes it is." Again, Orin grimaced. Still, he took a seat next to Garth on the bed.

"I am so sorry, Garth," he whispered, tearing up a bit himself. "So sorry. I never should have let that happen." He hugged Garth, though the boy stiffened in his arms. "Never." Garth just continued to cry. "Garth, I love you…you are like a son to me," he continued.

"Yes…yes I suppose that is as good as it is going to get, 'like a son.' But I am nothing compared to a _real_ son, Orin. I can never be your son. That day made me realize that. To you and everyone in Atlantis, I will always just be that little boy with the demon eyes."

"Garth that's not true."

"Isn't it, Orin? Isn't it?" Aquaman just continued to hug Garth.

"…Garth," he began on a different note "it's not the same without you. Arthur Jr. misses having you as a big brother." Orin smiled. "He asked for you all the time. And Mera…Mera was distraught when you left. She is so worried about you. When she heard about Steel City, she cried. She kept telling me, 'Orin, you'd better bring him back this instant, or I'll flay you alive.'" Garth could not help but smile at that. "And then of course, there is me," he began again. "Garth, I have regretted it _every single day_. Not a day goes by that I don't stare longingly at your old bedroom, hoping that you will come out and smile as you once did. I miss you, both as Garth and as Aqualad."

The younger Atlantean sighed, as reality hit him like a truck. "I can't be Aqualad anymore. They have locked away my powers, Orin, all of them. I can only still breathe underwater because my physiology demands it." Orin's eyes widened.

"Garth, what did they do to you?" he growled out. Garth shrunk away.

"They…um…they put something…on me," he managed weakly.

"Let me see." Garth bit his lip. Reluctantly, he turned around and lifted his shirt. "Dear Poseidon," muttered Aquaman in disbelief. "This looks like Atlantean technology, but…how? Unless someone _from_ Atlantis is in on this…Garth do you remember seeing an Atlantean when you were attacked?" The violet-eyed boy weakly shook his head. Orin put his hands on Garth's shoulders. "Well, I will not rest until you are safe." He looked Garth in his eyes again. "Garth, I want you to return to Atlantis with me." Garth's eyes widened. "Please, I want you somewhere where I know that you are safe. We can have scientists study that _thing_ and find a way to remove it. Please, Garth, come home."

Again, Garth wanted to cry. _Home_. He was overjoyed that Orin was worried, cared enough to worry, but he knew that it was not the same way that he would have been worried for Arthur Jr. Sometimes, he felt a deep pity emanating from Orin instead of the fatherly love that he so craved, and it tortured him. Garth felt the sickness returning after spending only a few minutes with Orin; he was sure that if he returned to Atlantis, he would only grow sicker and sicker. Perhaps it would even kill him. He would waste away. _Home_. His real home was Titans East Tower, where Karen, Mas, Menos, and Roy were waiting for him. Roy.

Roy was his home now, only Roy.

"I'm sorry, Orin. I just can't. Besides, Speedy, he needs me here. I can't leave him." Orin let his eyes fall close.

"All right, but I am not giving up. I _will _keep you safe if it's the last thing I do." Garth let a few more stray tears escape as he was pulled back into an embrace. "I have missed you, Garth; really, I have." Garth just nodded weakly, unsure of how to respond.

Speedy walked back through the halls of Titans' Tower, Robin close behind him. He had a plan now. All that he had to do was talk to Green Arrow, and then, he could return to Garth and enact it. Just one conversation away. Well, one difficult conversation; they had a lot to work out after all.

He found Ollie in the main room, talking to Starfire and Beast Boy. Roy took a deep breath and headed over.

"Ollie," he murmured, "we need to talk." The Green Arrow dropped what he was doing and nodded.

"Here," cut in Robin, "you guys can use this room. We'll clear out. I need to talk to Bru—I mean Batman—anyway." Dick led the other two out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Green Arrow sighed. "Let's sit down." They took a seat on the couch near the front of the room. Neither met the other's eye. "How are things?" Ollie asked the redhead awkwardly.

"I've had better days. You?" Ollie shrugged.

"Been busy. Darkseid's on the move again. Superman's been working us to death trying to find him. That's why I didn't come immediately after you called." Roy nodded.

"Any luck?"

"No, he's been operating from Earth, but he hasn't done anything yet, which isn't like him. By the time we hear about him, he's usually done something unforgivable. It's almost like he wants something that's too well-protected. That's just a guess though. But there're more important things than Darkseid going on." Roy chuckled.

"Superman'd be appalled to hear you say that."

"I'm serious, Roy; after what happened with you guys in Steel City, I'm worried we might be having another Brotherhood of Evil incident on our hands. Something's after you kids, and they're not afraid to kill." Roy stared morosely at the ground "And then there's us," continued Ollie. For the first time since they sat down together, Roy met his eye. "Roy, there's something I've been meaning to say to you for a long time." He paused. "Roy, I'm sorry. Sorry for everything." Speedy wanted to cry but held it in. "You were sick, Roy. I was a terrible father, and you had to self-medicate because of it. You needed help, and what did I do? I abandoned you. Worse. I sent a poor sick boy out on the streets. It must've been terrible." Roy let a stray tear make its way down his face.

"Yeah," was all that he could find in himself to say.

"Roy, when we talked on the phone…it made me realize how much I missed you. Now there're people after your friend, and you're going to get involved. Trust me; you are. Roy…I've already lost you once. I'm not losing you again." Green eyes widened. "Let me help you, Roy." Ollie sighed. "You think you can forgive an old man long enough to help you through this, like I should've before."

Roy nodded through his tears. "Yes," he gasped out. Ollie pulled him into a powerful hug.

"So we can try to start over?" Again, Roy nodded.

"Yes." They remained like that for a while. At one point, Ollie murmured something that sounded suspiciously like "my boy," which only succeeded in making Roy cry harder.

Eventually, the bonding moment was shattered as Aquaman walked in, looking urgent. "Diana called; we've got a lead on Darkseid. They need us back." Green Arrow nodded.

"Okay, meet me by the jet; I'll be up in a minute." Aquaman left. Ollie quickly rummaged through his pockets, finally finding a communicator, not unlike the old one Speedy had when they were a team. He handed it to Roy. "Here, if you need anything—_anything at all_—this is the best way to reach me." Roy nodded. With that, Ollie stood, preparing to leave. "See you later. Oh, and Roy," Roy looked up to show that he was listening, "come visit me sometime." The redhead gave Ollie a small smile.

"Bye, Ollie, and…thanks." With one last understanding nod, the Green Arrow was off.

Roy just sat there for a few minutes. He could not believe what had just happened. _Ollie_ had just apologized for everything. It was too good to be true. Just a few weeks ago, they could not have a single conversation that left Roy _not_ wanting to kill himself. Now, everything was starting to heal between them. Ollie loved him and wanted to keep him safe. How strange that death always seemed to put things in perspective.

Still, he had one more thing to do before he would be satisfied. He headed for his and Garth's room. He could hear the shower running from across the hall. He knocked on the bathroom door. No answer.

"Garth?" No response. Shrugging, he entered. There was Garth. Roy nearly gasped.

The shower door was wide open, revealing a half-naked Atlantean, lying in the fetal position as water beat down on his frail form. His violet eyes were sunken and tearful, framed by dark circles. His body was pale, sickly.

Roy grimaced, slowly approaching. He knelt down beside the boy. Reaching a hand out, he lightly stroked wet ebony locks. Garth let out a small sob. "Hey," soothed the redhead, "it's okay. Don't cry, Babe. Please, don't cry." Garth tried to hold back sobs to no avail. Sighing, Roy turned off the shower before pulling Garth out. He lightly toweled off the Atlantean, tucking soaking black tresses behind his ears with they got in the way.

When he had finished, he just let Garth rest his head in his lap, not caring that the violet-eyed boy's still damp hair was soaking his pants. "You should really stop taking showers," Roy joked, though his voice was soft, serious. "They always seem to end up like this."

"S-sorry," Garth apologized weakly. Roy just shook his head.

"It's not your fault. It's okay, really. I don't mind having your head in my lap." Garth was silent, in no mood to banter. Neither was Roy really, but he felt that he had to fill the silence with something. "Why're you crying, Garth?" he asked sympathetically. Garth lightly hiccupped, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I don't know," he whispered. The archer just nodded.

"That's okay," he comforted softly. "You can just cry if you need to." There was quiet for a few moments more.

"Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't feel so well." Roy simply nodded.

"Is seeing Aquaman making you sick?"

"Oh…I just don't know." He began to cry silently. Roy's heart ached for him. The redhead took Garth's hand into his own; gently, he brought the appendage to his lips and lightly kissed the soft, milky-white skin of his fingers. Garth relaxed a bit.

"Let's get you changed and into bed," he whispered softly.

Garth managed a small nod. "Okay," he agreed. Roy hoisted the hurting Atlantean into his arms and carried him to the bedroom. There, he helped Garth change into a new pair of boxers and a shirt before laying him on the bed. He lightly stroked the purple-eyed boy's cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Garth," he whispered softly. The other met his eye to show that he was listening. "You think you'll feel better by tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure," he responded sleepily. "Why?" Roy smiled gently.

"Well, I was hoping to take you out tomorrow night?" Garth blinked his pretty violet eyes, confused.

"Why?" Roy simply grinned, kissing Garth's soft lips.

"We're going on a date."

***Vut a tweest?! Yeah, sorry for any mistakes. Not much energy to proofread. I also quite enjoyed that half the time Aquaman and Garth speak colloquially, and the other half, they speak formally. Weird. Still, it seemed right at the time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed because I certainly did. Oh! Guess who's done applying to college!! YES!! Now we play the waiting game. See you next week, everyone. **


	7. He Loves You

***Sorry there was no update last week, guys. I had midterms, so there was lots of studying going on (or rather, lots of procrastinating). All in all, no time to finish the chapter, I had to wait 'til this week. Anyway, sorry for this next bit if you're not into **_**Doctor Who**_** or **_**Torchwood**_**. Okay, I'm really tempted to kill off Roy and resurrect him with Voodoo or something equally ridiculous just so he can have that whole Captain Jack-I-can-be-fired-into-the-friggin'-sun thing going for him. He'd make a great Captain Jack, don't you think? Captain Roy Harper. If the comics are anything to go by, I think Roy could seduce just as many people. Cuz Jack could probably seduce a Dalek if he wanted. Oh god, I can just see it: "Fornicate! Fornicate!" Okay, sorry about that. Yeah, I know Guardy'd be pretty pissed if I killed off Roy, but still, Guardy, at least you'd get a DC Comics version of Wolverine out of it, right? :D Speaking of Guardy, thanks for reviewing! You're the best. And everyone else, thanks for continually reading. Love you guys. **

**P.S.**

**MOAR BEATLES!!! I'm guessing you can all figure out which song this chapter title was derived from. If not, you REALLY need to go onto youtube and type in "She loves you." It's pretty iconic Beatles right there. Btw, has anyone watched the Teen Titans episode "Revolution" lately? Dude, Mad Mod turns into a fucking blue meanie at the end! Totally made my week. I have a feeling that the only thing the **_**Teen Titans**_** producers have to go by, as far as Britishness goes, is **_**The Yellow Submarine**_** and Monty Python, though, I guess that would do it, right?**

**Notes: I've been told that Jinx's real name is Nicole Diaz. Which would be pretty normal if she wasn't from India. Wtf? Well, who can argue with DC comics, right? I knew a Nikki once, didn't like her all that much. So, we're gonna not call her that (no offense to any Nikkis out there, I'm a Rikki actually). I'd call her Cole, but there's already a character named Kole, so that's out. Oh well. Anyway, Cleito's Pass is named after one of Poseidon's many wives is Plato's version of the myth of Atlantis, and Solon is named for a character also in Plato's version of the myth of Atlantis (keep his name in mind). Glorcallizhor is a word I made up on the spot. I suppose you could call it like the Atlantean ****Kristallnacht. I also figure that Garth goes all out as a vegetarian. I think he can talk to any kind of animal, right?**

**Chapter 6: He Loves You**

Roy sat around the table the next morning, particularly cheerful. Garth had responded positively to his offering (demand) of a date (or rather, he had stared blankly for a while before cautiously trying a smile). Roy grinned at the thought. Still, the question of what to do on their date lingered in the back of his mind. What _did_ people do on dates?

"Is our friend Garth not joining us for this most bountiful feast of cereal?" asked Kory, noting the lack of the Atlantean's presence.

"Maybe you should go check on him, Star," Robin suggested. Starfire simply beamed at the idea.

"Oh yes! Wonderful, I shall go immediately; does anyone wish to join me?"

"Sure," Beast Boy agreed, finishing off his second bowl. "Let's go." With that, the two were off.

They quickly made it to Garth and Roy's room, where Starfire, bursting with joy, knocked energetically.

"Who is it?" came a muffled, weak voice from the other side of the door.

"It's Gar and Kory," cut in Beast Boy. "What's up?"

"We were wondering why you did not respond to the call of breakfast. Are you not hungry?" There was a pause.

"Well…" began Garth. "Promise not to tell Roy?"

"Sure thing, dude."

"You have my most sincere vow to never speak of this. On my honor." Garth smiled; he had good friends.

"I'm feeling really sick," he confessed.

"Oh no!" gasped Starfire.

"How bad? What's wrong?" Garth did not want to tell them of how much effort it took simply to get out of bed to vomit. He felt as if a railroad spike had been jammed through his head. He wanted to spend the whole day sleeping, but Roy could not know that or else he would call off the date. Garth would rather risk getting worse than miss out on that opportunity.

"I'm a little dizzy…with a headache." It was sugarcoated, but true…in the broadest sense of the term.

"Roy said he'd be up to check on you soon," cut in Beast Boy. "You gonna lie n' stuff?"

"Yes, I don't want to worry him."

" 'Kay, Star and I'll tell him you're fine." Garth buried his face in his pillow, barely hearing the two arguing over the morality of lying as they returned to breakfast.

"Guys," called Roy. Dick, Victor, and Raven dropped their former tasks and looked up. "I'm taking someone on a date tonight." Robin gave him a knowing look. "What should we do?" The three stared at each other, uncertain.

Raven was the first to speak: "Take them somewhere no one else knows about and talk, or take a long walk. That sort of thing."

Cyborg rolled his eyes, completely disagreeing. "How 'bout a good old-fashioned movie? Or walk around the city 'til you find stuff. Go to dinner. Hell, go bowling somewhere." Roy chuckled at the idea of the Prince of the Idyllists bowling. It warranted a joke or two.

Robin tried next. "Let's compromise here: go to dinner and then go for a walk by the pier. How's that sound?" Cyborg, Raven, and Speedy shared glances, all three nodding.

"Excellent," affirmed Roy. "That's what we'll do."

"Hold up! What's this?" Vic asked playfully. "Who're you dating now?" Roy blushed.

"No one," he lied. Cyborg and Raven shared evil smirks; Robin just shrugged.

"Come on, Speeds; who's your girlfriend?" Roy paled. His stomach sank at the gender suggested in Cyborg's question. He just shook his head.

Robin, noticing Roy's discomfort, cut in, "Or boyfriend, if that's the case." He winked, earning him a smile.

"Oh right," corrected Cyborg. "We're all open-minded here…so, who's your non-gender-specific date?" Speedy glared, but before Victor could further torment him, Beast Boy and Starfire entered the room, thus saving him.

"Hello, friends!" greeted Starfire.

"Hey, Star," addressed Roy. "Where's Garth?" The two returning Titans briefly glanced at each other, before Beast Boy decided to reply.

"He's…uh…sleeping…" Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Really? This late? That's not like him. I'll go check and see if he's okay—"

"No, that's okay! He's fine!"

"Yes! Completely in good health, not dizzy or with headache at all!" Roy blinked at the sudden vehemence of the reply. Behind him, Raven, Cyborg, and Robin shared confused glances.

"Yeah," began Roy hesitantly, "I'm just…gonna go check on him then." With that, the redhead left to go see if his favorite Atlantean was all right.

"Oh no! It did not work!" cried Starfire.

"We tried," rationalized Beast Boy.

"Does this make us the 'bad' friends?"

"No," interrupted Raven. "Just the bad liars."

Roy knocked lightly on the door to his and Garth's room. "Hey, you okay in there?" he called. There was a silence.

"Yes…I am fine, Roy. You may go back to breakfast, if you please." Another obvious lie: Garth had lapsed into his formal speech patterns. Roy shook his head. Garth was hiding something from him. He opened the door without another thought. The Atlantean lay on the bed with a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. As Roy approached the bed, Garth retreated further behind the blanket. The archer could not help but to chuckle, finding the behavior to be absolutely endearing.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking a seat on the bed, almost proud of the way that he made Garth panic. He removed his mask, which put the violet-eyed boy even more on edge.

"Nothing is wrong," he murmured, voice shaking as those piercing green eyes gazed right into his. "I am perfectly fine, Roy." The redhead inwardly smirked.

"Then how come you're hiding from me?" Garth stuttered.

"Um—I—um—" Roy decided that one last push would do the trick. He faked a hurt expression.

"Don't you like me anymore?" Garth nearly jumped out of his skin at the question.

"What?! No, Roy, how could you even—I—um—I mean—of course, I—I like you very, very much!" Roy full out laughed at Garth's over-reaction. He not-so-gently pinched the Atlantean's cheeks.

"Have I ever told you how cute you are when you panic?" Garth blushed, burying his face in his hands, too embarrassed to look at Roy. Roy smirked as Garth backed away. "Oh no you don't," he said as he pulled the Atlantean into his lap with minimal effort.

"You're mean," Garth managed, still unable to show his beet red face.

"Yes, but I'm also sexy," he claimed. Garth, having no response, simply pouted in Roy's arms. "So," the redhead began again, softer this time. "Really, what's wrong?" The addressed simply shook his head, murmuring something that sounded like, "Don't wanna be a bother." Roy's brow furrowed upon hearing this. "Garth, you remember the first time you came home after going to Atlantis?" Garth nodded. Of course he did; how could he forget? Roy had found Garth half-asleep on the kitchen table, his head buried in his arms. They had talked for a long time. "Do you remember what I said to you when you wouldn't tell me what was bothering you?"

"_Garth, I complain to you about the stupidest little things all the time. You don't complain enough. You can tell me when something's bothering you. I won't think any less of you."_

"Yes," answered Garth upon remembering those words.

"So, what's wrong? What d'you have do complain about?" Garth sighed. How could he argue when the redhead was just so determined?

"We're going to have to cancel the date. I'm sorry, Roy."

"How bad?" Garth blinked.

"What?"

"You're sick, aren't you? It's from seeing Aquaman, right?"

"How did you—?" Roy gave him a winning smile.

"Felt your forehead when I distracted you with the 'you're cute when you're flustered' stuff…which you are, but that's beside the point. Is it as bad as it was when you were in Atlantis? Better? Worse?"

"Feels kind of like when it first started in Atlantis…like it's the tip of the iceberg," Garth reluctantly explained. Roy pulled the Atlantean closer, lightly stroking his hair and kissing him wherever he could reach.

"How's that? Better?" Garth simply purred like a kitten in response. Roy chuckled. "Thought so. See, wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Puuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrr…"

"I think we can still pull off that date; we'll just have to go easy on you, and…you're not even listening, are you?" Roy moved to snap Garth out of his daze, but suddenly, the other stiffened. The redhead frowned.

"Garth—Babe—you okay?" Roy was met with glazed-over, orchid-like eyes. He always knew when Garth was sick; his eyes were brighter.

"Roy…I'm going to be sick." Roy's eyes widened. He grabbed Garth and rushed him out of the room, into the bathroom. He set the Atlantean down in a sitting position. However, Garth merely slumped over, barely able to keep his eyes open. "I'm…s-s-so c-cold, Roy…" Without a second thought, Roy pulled him close, rubbing up and down arms in an attempt to warm him. Garth found enough energy to lean over the toilet and vomit. He violently retched several times, with little to no time to recover in between. Roy could barely find it in himself to watch as the violet-eyed beauty gasped and coughed. Still, he held Garth through it all, rubbing his back soothingly. Eventually, the Atlantean collapsed into a sweating, shaking, panting heap in Roy's arms.

The redhead lightly kissed the other's head. "You're such a trooper," he whispered. Garth looked up listlessly, having no strength to stand or even sit up. "Well, there goes our date." Garth managed a weak smile. "God, if you keep up like this, you'll get dehydrated." The Atlantean just closed his eyes and sighed. "How much salt do you take in your water?"

Garth snuggled against him, mumbling, "3.5 percent…" As he drifted in and out of consciousness, Roy hoisted him up so that he was resting on his shoulder.

"God…you're really ill," he continued, shaking his head. "How'd you end up like this? Some boyfrie—friend—I am, can't even keep you awake. Damn. What'd Karen do when you weren't feeling good?" Garth fell faint in Speedy's lap.

"She'd," he began in a strained voice, "make tea…I hated that…" Garth chuckled dryly. "Whenever I would come back from Atlantis, she'd make me a cup of my favorite tea. It was good, but I dreaded her saying, 'Let me make you some tea,' because it meant I'd have to tell her about Atlantis…and Orin…and everything. It probably helped to talk, but as you say on the surface-world, 'the best medicines taste the worst.' It hurt a lot to talk about it, but Karen still made me…she said I'd feel better in the long run." Roy just clutched him tightly, gripping the Atlantean as if the boy would die if he let go. "One time…the night I told her about _the incident_, I cried myself to sleep. She put me on the couch, but my illness got worse. I made my way to your room. I found you on your bed. You looked like you'd been crying too. I came over to see if you were all right, but my head just started aching so badly. I cried, but you didn't kick me out or tell me to stop…you just held me until it stopped hurting." Roy nodded, remembering this day well.

"I think that's when I fell in love with you, Roy." Garth could feel Roy stiffen. Perhaps it was not a good time to have confessed. Roy said nothing. Garth took his silence for rejection. He wanted to cry. Roy did not love him in return. But then, why did Roy kiss him all of those times? Could it have been that Roy was just using him for his body? Garth was sure that the archer had treated others in the same manner. Still, he thought that perhaps it was different for them. Had they not connected as Garth thought? When Garth felt that unbelievable spark from their very first kiss, did Roy feel nothing? Was Garth just a cheap slut to Roy? Tears leaked out of empty violet eyes. "I am sorry, Roy," he managed, formal dialect returning. "I did not realize that you did not feel the same way. You can leave…I would not like to hinder you."

Roy let out a sigh, angry at himself for making Garth cry. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. I just don't know what I want anymore." He could not bring himself to look into those violet eyes. "I need some time to think, okay? I just need some space until I have things figured out…I'll let you know what my response is…" With that, Roy left the room.

Garth began to sob. He curled into a ball, unable to continue. Why? Why did it hurt so much? Roy did not even reject him, and he still felt as if his heart had broken in two, shattered, never to be restored. Roy had just been so _cold_. His voice, his mannerisms. He would not even look in Garth's general direction. Was he ashamed? Did he hate being around the Atlantean that much?

Garth had never felt so alone.

It was a dark and terrible place in which he had no one. No Orin, Mera, or Tramm. No Mas, Menos, or Karen. And now, no Roy, his everything. Instead, he had an empty void that was once filled with friends and family…and _Roy_. Nothing left.

Garth felt himself grow hot…too hot. He vomited again before curling back into a ball, shivering like never before, tears streaming down his cheeks. He choked back sobs. He was alone. All alone again. Abandoned on that horrid reef again. His "demon" eyes had never seemed so gruesome, so repulsive. They seemed to glow, feeding off his negative energy, preparing to consume him whole at any given moment. It was too much. _Too much_. He was fading, his illness returning at full force.

A knock on the door. Roy? Another knock. Roy!

"Dude, who's in here? Are you okay? I thought I heard someone throwing up." Beast Boy.

Garth burst into sobs. Beast Boy. It was Garfield. Gar.

There was a pause. "…Garth? Is that you? You're…crying and stuff? Do you need help? Okay! I'm coming in." Gar did not wait for a response before opening the door, letting himself in. The changeling cringed at the sight before him. Garth was ashen white, tears pouring out of violet eyes, and body drenched in sweat. He was shaking something awful, curled into himself. His eyes were the worst part: they were emptiness, tears, exhaustion, and misery rolled into a single entity, and Garfield almost could not bear to look at them.

Beast Boy fell to his knees in front of Garth. "Garth…w-what happened?" he managed. This broke the damn for the Atlantean. He was not alone: he still had Beast Boy. He would always have Gar. He clung to the green boy, sobbing his eyes out.

"Garfield!" he cried out. Gar, unsure of how to respond, opted to rub circles on Garth's back, trying desperately to comfort the other.

"Dude, what happened?" Garth just shook his head, letting tears run down his face. Gar smiled sympathetically. "You know, if you keep crying like that…you'll get dehydrated." Garth met Beast Boy's eyes. Somehow, just by looking in Garth's general direction and grinning, the changeling could make him feel unbelievable relief. The Atlantean calmed down enough to speak.

"I'm in love with Roy," he confessed. Beast Boy's eyes widened, but he just nodded, knowing that if he were to react in any other way, he could risk losing Garth's friendship. "Recently, things have changed between us," he continued. "We kissed a few times, he asked me out, but today, when I confessed, he didn't respond. He said he needed time and didn't know what he wanted. Gar, he wouldn't even look at me! What if he rejects me? What'll I do? What if he never wants to see me again? It'd be torture! It's already making me sick just thinking about it. Oh, Gar, what do I do?"

It was one of those rare moments in which Beast Boy stopped joking. The words, "Things change," forced their way into every part of his brain. As he looked at Garth's sobbing, sick, and broken form, all that Gar saw was himself. His pain from that day. To love someone with no reciprocation: torture, indeed. The changeling pulled Garth into a crushing hug. "If he rejects you, he's crazy," Gar murmured. "I know how it feels; trust me, I do. But, even if we don't have love," he smiled, "we still have each other." Again, the Atlantean nodded.

"Yeah…" he whispered, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Yeah." He looked Gar in the eye again, smiling sadly but also warmly. "Thanks, Gar." Beast Boy grinned.

"For what?"

"For being you." Beast Boy's eyes widened. No one had ever told him anything like that before. _No one_. Not the Doom Patrol. Not his team. Not Terra. This was a kindness that only Garth had. Beast Boy had no idea what Speedy's problem was. Garth was an incredible person. Warm, kind, strong, and _beautiful_. Falling in love with him seemed about as easy as falling in love with Starfire. And if Beast Boy's heart did not already belong to Terra, it would be as easy as pie for the Atlantean to steal it away.

"Gar?" called the violet-eyed boy uncertainly.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" Again, Gar's grin reclaimed his face.

"Totally fine, dude, but we should get you into a bed; you look like you just had a big serving of Starfire's Tamaranean cooking!" Garth laughed. There it was again. No one laughed at Garfield's jokes except Terra. If Beast Boy did not know better, he would say that he was already head-over-heals for the boy in front of him. Still, Garth needed a friend, not an alternate love interest. But, if Roy took too long, the archer had better watch out, lest Gar steal the Atlantean away from right under him.

But for now, Beast Boy was just content to make sure that Garth got back to his room safely. He helped the Atlantean across the hallway (it may as well have been across the universe for Garth) and into the bed in his and Roy's room.

Garth had to wonder; would he and Roy still lie curled up together as they always had? Or would one of them be sleeping on the ignored cot that night? As Garth settled into bed, morose by the thought but happy knowing that Beast Boy was by his side, there was a knock on the door. Beast Boy opened it only to find a lone pitcher of water and a cup, no one in sight.

"Must be for you," Gar grinned, handing the water to the thirsty Atlantean. He took a cautious sip before greedily downing the entire glass. It tasted like seawater: Roy. It had to be. Maybe he did come. Garth downed another glass, watching Beast Boy gape at him with an odd satisfaction. "You Atlanteans sure like your water," he remarked. Garth simply nodded.

"We suffer from dehydration much quicker than humans. I can get very ill if I don't have water by an hour's time. I die within a few hours." Gar frowned.

"That sucks."

"Yes, but to live up here on the surface," Garth began with dreamy eyes, "it's worth it. Plus, if I hadn't left Atlantis and the ocean, I would have never been a Titan. It's worth all the trouble, very much so." Then, it came back: Roy. Roy was the first person to show him the surface world. Kory had helped him to see that. Garth pulled his knees to his chest, feeling all the more miserable. How could he have fallen so hard that ten minutes without knowing that Roy would come back to him was equivalent to a millennium in Hell? He looked to Beast Boy. "I'm sorry, Gar. I must not be very good company like this…" he murmured sadly. Garfield shook his head.

"Hey, you wouldn't leave my side the day after Terra rejected me, remember?" Garth closed his eyes; he remembered well. Beast Boy had called that night. He had been distraught on the phone, saying that the pain of it finally hit him. _Hard_. Garth swam all the way from Steel City and refused to leave until Gar felt better. "I'm happy to do the same for you," continued Gar. Garth nodded weakly.

"You weren't like this though," whispered Garth. "You're really strong, Garfield. The strongest of the Titans if you ask me." Gar hit him playfully.

"You're makin' me blush." The Atlantean gave him a weak smile.

"I'm such a mess. I'm weak and not even worthy enough to be a Teen Titan. I'm…just being so stupid." Garfield frowned.

"You're not weaker than me for taking this kinda thing differently. You're just…different. It's a different situation: you lost alotta friends, so you already got a reason to freak out. And you're a lot nicer than most, so stuff like this hits you harder. Get it?"

Garth gave Beast Boy such a heart-warming smile that it made Gar's insides squirm. "I suppose there's really no arguing with you."

"Nope," chirped the changeling proudly. However, before the two Titans could continue their conversation, klaxons and lights went off. Robin's voice came from their communicators.

"Titans, trouble! Red X's been spotted at the museum." Garth met Gar's eye. The Atlantean knew that he had to remain at the Tower. In his condition, he would only be a liability. Gar frowned as the other's disposition grew melancholy. Dick really could not expect him to just leave Garth like this, could he? He whipped out his communicator.

"Beast Boy to Robin. I'm stayin' with Garth. We shouldn't leave him alone."

"You can't," replied Robin. "We need you. Garth'll be okay on his own for a bit. We'll make it quick." Gar let out an exasperated sigh.

"It was worth a try," he muttered. " 'K, I'll be back soon. I've got some comics in my room if you're bored, and I bet Rae wouldn't mind if you borrow one of her books. She's got tons." Garth beamed.

"Thanks, Gar, I'll be all right. Good luck." The green boy hugged the other.

"Be back faster than you can say, 'sturgeon'!" Gar winked. The Atlantean had to laugh at the ridiculousness of the statement. He waved Garfield off as he left.

For a while, he could hear the frantic footsteps of the Titans preparing for a mission, but eventually, the noises stopped.

Garth was alone again.

He rolled over, lying down. He did not realize just how tired he was until he practically passed out first thing after laying his head down on the pillow. It had been a rough day. Still, something was off. He kept falling asleep, only to be woken, left with the strangest remnants of a dream.

Sleep. Violet eyes snap open:

"_So, just who is this 'Red X' character?" Speedy asked Robin as they drove to the crime scene in the T-Car. Robin grimaced. _

Sleep. Violet eyes snap open:

"_I'd hate to see a good kid like you get hurt. Keep your guard up."_

Sleep. Violet eyes snap open:

"_Garth," the redhead murmured barely above a whisper, "don't say that." Tears streamed from purple eyes._

"_You know it's true, Roy. I could die. You could die. It's not kids' stuff anymore. So please," he placed a hand on the other's cheek, "before one of us dies…"_

Sleep:

"_Roy! No! Roy!!" Garth screamed as he thrashed against the hold of his captors. "Let me go!! ROY!!!"_

Garth snapped awake with a gasp, holding his chest as his breathing slowed. That last one was unbelievably real. He could still feel his own terror. Roy. What were they doing to Roy in the dream? Garth held his head, unable to remember.

What were these flashes? Garth had a bit of precognition, but never like this. If he foresaw the future in a dream, the images and sounds would be so garbled and unintelligible, incoherent. These visions, they were so vivid,_ so real_. Could it be that his precognition was growing stronger?

Garth got out of bed, standing on shaky legs. He felt so weak, but at the same time, he also felt an unbridled strength developing in the very depths of his body. Even with the Machtlos, this power only seemed to grow, but it was almost as if Garth could not consciously delve into this well of energy. Still, he had a feeling that this power was not something to be taken lightly. It was ancient and all-knowing, part of the ocean itself. No, more than that. Part of the Earth itself. And the Atlantean knew that were he to tap into all of it, he would burn from the inside out, like opening the gates of Hell.

Garth stumbled as a wave of nausea overcame him. He made his way over to the door. Perhaps he would be more comfortable in Gar's room. He slowly made his way to the changeling's room, staggering and nearly collapsing at times. When had it gotten this bad? He gritted his teeth, trudging forward. Finally, he found himself outside of Beast Boy's room. He entered.

Smiling weakly at the clutter, Garth stumbled his way to the bed, collapsing on the bottom bunk. He could practically hear Gar's voice in his head: _"Of course you can crash here, dude! Top bunk's mine though."_ Beaming dazedly to himself, the Atlantean curled up under the blanket and practically fainted.

Two figures entered the Tower. One used his powers to easily slip through the walls; there, he tested every possible combination on the padlock until he found the correct one. He unlocked the door, allowing his companion to enter as well. They headed up to the main room.

"Wow," exclaimed the boy upon entering the room. "Nice place. I hope they won't be too pissed that we snuck in." The girl flashed him a coy smile.

"It's a pleasant surprise."

"I mean it! How'd you feel it some people you've met, like, twice randomly came into your house, and stuff?" the boy argued. The girl crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, for your information, I've met them more than just _twice_, and _what house_? We've been bumming our way across Europe and Asia since the whole Brotherhood thing." The boy grinned.

"Are you suggesting something, Nic? Maybe settle down somewhere, get married, start a family?" The girl smacked him. She turned away, blushing, as the boy rubbed his aching cheek.

"No! You shouldn't joke like that! Girls take marriage proposals very seriously, you know." The boy sighed, knowing that "Nic" was not going to let up until he apologized.

"I'm sorry…" she turned back to face him.

"You're forgiven." The boy grinned. She usually took much longer to forgive him, even when it was over something this trivial. He decided to push his luck.

"Does this mean I get a kiss?"

"What?! Why should I?!" He gave her the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster. She sighed. How could she argue with those big blue eyes? "All right, fine." With that, she pulled him in for a quick but passionate kiss that left the other weak-kneed. "There," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "Happy?"

"Very," replied the boy. She stalked over to the counter, leaning against it.

"I wonder where everyone is?" The boy shrugged, looking through the cupboards for food.

"Probably taking down some criminal. Hey, maybe it's your old crew, Niccie?" Nic chuckled.

"Maybe. I should pay them a visit while I'm here; it'll scare them outta their minds." This reminded her of a much more important matter. She let out another sigh as she took a longing look at her boyfriend. "Wally," she called hesitantly. Her tone made the other look up and meet her eyes. "Remember what we were talking about the other day?" He nodded. "I've come to a decision…I'm ready…" Wally's eyes widened. He zoomed over to her, grasping her hands in his.

"Nic, do you mean it?" She could not help but to smile at his enthusiasm. She nodded. Wally pulled her into a crushing embrace. "Perfect! Don't be nervous, Niccie; you'll be great! Kid Flash and Jinx are back in business!

"It's funny," she began nervously. Wally only found her tone to be endearing. "I never gave a thought to crime-fighting. I always thought, 'bad luck equals bad girl,' right? But as always, you've found a way to make things so much more complicated than that." Kid Flash grinned.

"That's my job." However, before Nic could come up with a witty retort, she cried out, falling onto one knee, as a new and strange energy made itself known to her. Wally's eyes widened as he knelt down beside her. "Nic, you okay? Nic? Nicole!" She held up her hands in response, to calm his worry.

"I'm all right…I just sense something." Blue eyes blinked.

"You sense stuff?" She smiled weakly.

"Only powers like mine. I can sense Raven and Kyd Wykkyd, but this is different. I feel like I've sensed them before, but…I don't know, this's really weird." He soothingly rubbed circles on her back.

"Where is it? If the Titans come back and this power finds them before we do, it could be trouble." Jinx nodded, getting to her feet. She pointed towards the hallway.

"This way. Follow me."

Garth awoke but did not open his eyes. He heard muffled voices next to him but could not understand what they were saying. He was far too tired to focus.

"He doesn't look well…oh, he's got a really high fever, Wally. I'm going to go wet a rag for him."

"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen you so…motherly."

"Oh shut up. It's another girl thing. You wouldn't understand." Footsteps. Quiet. A hand on his forehead.

"Jesus! Nic wasn't kidding. Hey, do you think you can wake up? Come on." Garth moaned, shivering.

Footsteps. Something cool on his forehead.

"There. That should help a bit. If he could wake up long enough, we could get him some Tylenol or something—"

"Don't think that's happening, Niccie, but I recognize him from the Brotherhood fight. Is he an honorary Titan?"

"No. He's with Titans East. He's Aqualad. I fought him once or twice when I was with H.I.V.E. He's really tough. It'd take a lot to bring him down like this. Maybe we shouldn't touch him; he could be contagious."

"Nah, if he needed to be quarantined, the Titans would've done it already. No, I'm more worried why he isn't in Steel City. Maybe something happened while we were gone."

"Oh! He's waking up."

Garth groaned as his eyes slowly opened. The blurred world cleared revealing two strangers dressed as civilians, both leaning over him. One was a pretty girl with long pink hair and strange, cat-like eyes. She was paler than Raven and looked fierce, but at the moment, her expression was softened by her relieved smile. To her left was a handsome boy with red hair and stunning blue eyes. He looked calm on the outside, but Garth could tell that he was just as worried as his companion. Both looked a bit weary, and Garth could have sworn that he had seen them before.

"Hi," greeted the girl. "I'm Nicole, and this's my boyfriend, Wally. Are you doing all right?" Garth lightly massaged his temples.

"Yes…thank you," he whispered. "Um…may I ask…who exactly are you?" Though Garth would never admit it, he was a bit shy around strangers. He could feel his formal dialect returning out of habit.

"You probably know us best as Kid Flash and Jinx," answered Wally, understanding the confusion Garth must have felt upon waking up to them leaning over him. Recognition flashed behind Garth's violet eyes. "You're Aqualad, right?"

"Yes…you may call me Garth, if you please." He cradled his aching head in his hands. "I am sorry…I am just a little…" He slumped sideways. Jinx gasped, grabbing him before he could fall off the bed. Suddenly, a bolt of pink energy zapped across the floor, and Wally slipped, falling backwards.

"Oh, sorry, Wally!" exclaimed Nicole. "You know I can't control it when I'm anxious."

"That's okay," came Kid Flash's muffled reply (as his face was buried in the carpet). As Wally picked himself up off the floor, Nic helped Garth to lie back down.

"Sorry we can't do much," she murmured. "Here, how about I make some tea?" Garth smiled, nodding. Tea did sound nice. Nic returned the smile. "What's your favorite kind?"

Those words.

For a moment, Garth was back at Titans East Tower. He had just returned from Atlantis, and Karen wanted to force him to tell her all about it.

"_What kind do you want this time, kiddo?"_

But as soon as it came, the memory was gone. The Atlantean shook himself out of it. "Ginger tea would be lovely, thanks." Jinx nodded.

"Okay, I'm off to make tea. Wally, keep him company while I'm gone. Garth, make sure Wally's on his best behavior." With a wink, Nicole left the room.

"She is very nice, yes?" Wally nodded.

"Never met a girl like her, if that's what'cha mean?" Garth nodded, sinking back under the covers. "You all right?" The Atlantean sighed.

"I am feeling a little ill." Wally nodded.

"You need anything? I'd be back before you could say 'faster than a speeding bullet'." Garth smiled.

"I will let you know if I should require anything then." Again, there was quiet.

"You're not from around here, right?" asked Wally, trying to make conversation. Garth had a feeling that Wally was not referring to him normally being in Steel City.

"Yes, I am a foreigner, if that is what you mean?" Wally just smiled.

"Where're you from?"

"Atlantis." Kid Flash did not even flinch.

"I've heard stranger…well, not really, but whatever. Is English not your first language then?" Again, Garth nodded, though hesitantly. The question was rather odd. "…This's gonna sound kinda awkward, but…could you speak a little for me?" The Atlantean had to laugh at how flustered Wally got by his own curiosity. It was quite cute (And Garth would have never thought that he could find someone besides Roy to be cute). He flashed the other a reassuring smile.

"I would not know what to say—oh, unless, maybe—yes. All right, this is a poem that I had to memorize once. It does not translate well, but here it is:" With that, Garth's hidden accent returned. He began putting more stress on his vowels, while beginning to roll his "r"s. His voice, low and melodic, seemed to move from one syllable to the next, his transitions completely smoothed. Some of the sounds seemed completely alien to Wally, or would be to any from the surface world for that matter.

Garth closed his eyes, straightening his posture. He felt the emotions of the poem in the pit of his stomach, that melancholy that seemed to boil over and burst from his voice, his expressions. Wally was mesmerized by the beauty of a different culture as it was being laid out in front of him.

Suddenly, the poem was over. The ethereal creature from before sat down, becoming Garth again. "I am sorry," he began. The accent had diminished but still appeared to be there, and then Wally realized that small semblance of an Atlantean accent was always apparent in Garth's voice, just overpowered by the surface world and the English language. It seemed a tragedy. Wally was certain, though, that were Garth to return to the sea, to his natural element, his voice would ring like that whenever he spoke. "I am not very good at reciting poetry, I suppose," the violet-eyed boy continued.

"Oh, I disagree," countered Wally. "It was beautiful." Garth blushed. "But, what's the poem about?" Garth frowned.

"As I said, it does not translate well, but basically, it is about one of the wars that we had in Atlantis. It is about a girl who promised to meet her lover, Solon, at Cleito's Pass when the day is over. She looks over the horizon, and she sees Atlantis being destroyed by the enemy. She fears for her love, but knows that he will come. The night turns out to be Glorcallizhor, or roughly "Night of Horrors" in your language. It was the worst attack in the history of Atlantis…aside from the obvious. She watches and waits all night, inhaling the poisoned water and smelling the carnage. She hears the screams, but still she waits. The night finally ends; her city is decimated and her lover dead. She falls to her knees in front of the ruins of Atlantis, prays to Poseidon for the end of the war, and wastes away into nothing but bubbles, there on the steps of the Temple of Atlas."

"Wow. That's depressing."

"Yes, well, it was a gruesome war, but it is a beautiful poem. Still, Wally, why did you want to hear me speak Atlantean?"

Kid Flash opened his mouth to speak, but he never got the words out. For, at that very moment, Nic entered the room with three cups of tea. "He's got an accent fetish," explained Jinx as she handed the cup of tea to Garth.

"It's not a fetish!"

"Drink up," she continued, ignoring her boyfriend's cries. "It's good luck." She winked.

"But I thought that you did not know how to create good luck." Nic smiled.

"I can if it's concentrated in an object, so I can make, say, a paperclip lucky, but there's no specific scenario it can cause luck in, and I can't do it very often; it takes a lot out of me. But I'd say, you seem like you need some luck." She took a seat on the bed beside Garth and blew on her tea. "It's concentrated in your cup, so drink slowly." They were quiet, each enjoying their tea.

"So," began Garth, feeling playful. "Is the accent fetish the reason you guys have been traveling?" Kid Flash sputtered. Jinx on the other hand, smiled rather evilly.

"One of the many," she teased. Wally resigned to just pouting.

"You guys are mean…" Garth and Nicole shared a laugh.

"Anyway," she began, "Garth, Wally and I've been meaning to ask; why are you in Jump City? I was almost positive you're stationed in Steel with Titans East." Garth's grip on his teacup tightened. The atmosphere grew darker as Garth grew morose. The events of Steel City came crashing back to him.

Karen, Mas, Menos.

Roy.

He swallowed before staring at the other two seriously. "Something terrible happened," he began. And thus, his tale of horror was about to be revealed.

The Teen Titans stayed close together as they, too, snuck into the museum. A burglary of one of Jump City's most heavily-guarded institutions in broad daylight? This was not Red X's style. Something was up, and the Titans (Robin in particular) were determined to find out what.

They looked around the corner into the room where the alarm was tripped. However, in the large structure, filled with dozens of _priceless_ artifacts to steal, Red X simply stood there. He was waiting, but what for?

Robin deduced that if the thief was waiting for someone, it would not be in such an accessible area and at this time of day. No, Red X had a different motive, but what?

Robin gave the signal. The six jumped into the room, as he called, "Titans, go!" But Red X did not move a muscle. None whatsoever. The boy wonder motioned for the Titans to wait. They were face-to-face with the criminal. The latter checked his watch.

"You're late," he drawled out sarcastically. Robin's eyes narrowed as he approached the other.

"What's your game, X? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't steal anything." Red X shrugged.

"I didn't. I'm here to talk." The Titans were taken aback.

"You're kidding," came Raven's voice.

"Look," X began again. His tone was serious, and he kept his hands where the Titans could see them. "There're some nasty rumors circling around the criminal network." Robin looked to his team, silently ordering them to listen but keep their guards up. "Why do you think the crime rate's been down so much recently?" No one responded, but Speedy raised an eyebrow. "There are bigger fish in the sea, scaring away the smaller predators. Something bad's going down soon, and we're not talking about me, or Slade, or even the Brotherhood for that matter. We're talking about the big leagues: Lex Luthor, the Joker, the Injustice League, those kind of guys." The Titans grimaced, knowing the sort of destruction those names tended to leave in their wakes. "And Darkseid's been mentioned more than just in passing, but that just might be because the League's been after him recently. Things are getting bad. _Real_ bad."

"But," cut in Cyborg, skeptical of Red X's honesty. "What does this have to do with us? They're not _our_ enemies. The League's that way, man," he pointed for emphasis.

"It's got _everything_ to do with you kids. If the rumors are true, these big names are after you kids, not the Justice League. Be prepared. These guys play differently than anything you've ever experienced before. Most of the criminals you've dealt with play "nice," but these guys aren't afraid to kill. Keep a look out, know your enemies, and for the love of God, _think_ before you _act_." Robin stepped closer, a bit frightened at how shaken up Red X was (though he hardly showed it).

"Why are you telling us this?" he asked, though somehow, he had a feeling that Red X was being genuine. Lying about this sort of thing to lure them into a trap just was not X's style.

"I may be a thief," he began simply, "and a 'criminal,' but I'm not heartless. And I'd hate to see a good kid like you get hurt." He sighed, turning away from the team, "Keep your guard up; I'll let you know if something changes." With that, Red X disappeared in a flash of red, leaving the Titans confused, scared, and strangest of all, just a little bit grateful.

Speedy seemed worst off. He could not explain why, but something in the air just made his blood run cold. He needed to see Garth, _now_.

Whatever Garth was expecting, it was not this. Nicole was hugging him. _Jinx_ was hugging him. Apparently, she had more of a soft spot than she let on.

"I'm sorry," murmured Kid Flash from his left. "I…I only met your team once, but they were great. Great Titans, and great people." Garth let his eyes fall closed.

"Yes," he agreed. "Yes." Nicole looked up from the hug, frowning.

"What's up, Niccie?" Jinx bit her lip, thinking.

"I sense someone…" she began hesitantly. Suddenly, it came to her. "It's Raven! The Titans are back."

"Well," began Wally, still shaken up by the news, "we better go greet them, right?" Garth and Nic both nodded. The latter helped the Atlantean out of bed.

They headed down the hall to the main room, where they were met with six anxious-looking Titans. Immediately upon entering the room, it was apparent to the other three that something was very wrong.

But before anyone could get a word out, Beast Boy cried out, "No way!" He pointed to the two standing behind Garth.

Dick looked up. "Wally, is that you? I almost didn't recognize you without the costume." Kid Flash smiled, shrugging. "And…you're Jinx?" Nic smiled.

"Oh, we've known each other long enough I'd say. Call me Nicole," she corrected. "Let me guess, didn't recognize me with the hair down?" Dick just returned the smile.

"What're y'all doing here?" asked Cyborg. "What've you been up to all this time?"

All nine Titans took a seat on or around the couch as Nic and Wally told of their exploits in Europe and Asia. Nic explained of her need to find herself and her insecurity about crime-fighting, of how Wally gave up his passion just to travel with her as civilians. "…And then, we came here. Nic finally decided to get into crime-fighting with me." Again, Robin smiled.

"Well, that settles it." He whipped out a spare communicator from his utility belt and handed it to Nicole. "As far as I'm concerned, you're an honorary Titan." For once, Jinx lost that air of confidence that she kept up around everyone except Kid Flash. She stared at the communicator in awe.

"You mean it?" she murmured. "You really trust me? After all I've done to you?"

"Any friend of Wally's is a friend of ours," Dick responded.

"Plus," added Victor, "you proved yourself in the Brotherhood fight."

"Welcome to the team," finished Raven. Though she would never admit it, Jinx was just short of tears.

"Yes! Welcome!" cried Starfire as she pulled Nic into a bone-crushing hug that only other Tamaraneans and possibly Garth could survive. Wally gave her a wink from across the room.

"Thank you," responded the pink-haired girl, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah! This calls for a celebration," shouted Cyborg. "I'm makin' burgers!"

"Hello!" cried Beast Boy, genuinely offended. "Vegetarian in the house (two if you count Garth)! Make those veggie-burgers!"

"Ain't no way I'm makin' veggie-burgers!"

Garth chuckled at the argument and would have stayed in good spirits if he had not seen the meaningful glance that Roy sent his way. However, as soon as he met those green eyes, the expression was gone.

Night fell quickly. Jinx and Kid Flash were invited to stay for as long as they needed. Garth and Roy had not so much as looked at each other since that one wayward glance. Garth spent most of the evening staring longingly out at the ocean. Unbeknownst to him, someone was watching him the entire time.

Roy frowned as the Atlantean pressed his palm to the window as if to reach out and touch the waters below. The archer swallowed, kicking himself. Garth had not done this since their first real conversation. Roy had caused the other enough pain to make him miss the home that rejected him. Roy wanted nothing more than to make things right, and yet, he could not. He still did not have an answer for Garth.

Roy looked up as he saw a flash of green: Beast Boy. Gar Logan had not just wandered into the room; he had come specifically to speak with Garth. Roy felt jealousy rise within him like bile as Gar hugged _his_ Atlantean. He could not hear their conversation, but for the first time since meeting him, Roy wanted to maim Beast Boy. He never realized his own possessiveness until now.

"Thanks, Gar," Garth whispered as he leaned into the hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes. Beast Boy grinned, though internally, he wanted nothing more than to maim Speedy.

"Hey, you said yourself," he began, hoping to counter Garth's depression with good memories, "I'm the best." The violet-eyed boy smiled: the day that they met.

"I do recall winning that race, thank you very much." Gar smiled; Garth was in a good enough mood to joke. They were quiet for a while.

In the silence, Garth thought of his relationship with Beast Boy. He had always admired the changeling. He was his best friend. But, he had grown so much closer to Gar through fighting alongside each other. Almost _too_ close. More than ordinary friendship. Gar was so much more consistent than Roy, such kindness. Gar made him laugh, made him so happy. This was not love, was it? A heart cannot belong to two, right?

But now, Roy was causing so much pain, making Gar pick up the pieces of Garth's shattered heart. Perhaps Gar was the better choice after all.

"Garth, why're you crying?" The Atlantean blinked. He felt his cheeks. Wet. He _was _crying.

"I'm just…so confused," he confessed through tears. He leaned against Gar. He could not do this anymore. He needed comfort, solace. He needed that consistency! "Gar, I just don't know what to do anymore." Gar lightly rubbed up and down his back.

"That's okay," Beast Boy assured softly. "You can be confused if you need to. No one's judging you. Just take it slow and try to work it out." Garth weakly nodded into Gar's shoulder.

"Oh, Gar…" He paused. "Gar, I don't think I can deal with Roy right now. Could I…sleep in your room tonight?" Gar's brain exploded at the request, though he hid it as best he could.

"O-of course, s-s-sure th-thing, dude." Garth smiled, leaning into the changeling.

"Thank you, Gar," he murmured genuinely.

"Anytime," was Gar's equally truthful reply. "Well, let's go!" He led Garth to his room, leaving Roy alone to silently fume.

Upon arriving, the two took a seat on the bottom bunk. The air was awkward. Sexual tension ran amok as both Beast Boy and Garth were avoiding each other's gaze. Then, Gar felt himself heat up as Garth rested his hand on his. Forget Terra! No one before Garth had ever made his heart race like this from a single touch.

Garth let out a longing sigh. He cupped the changeling's cheek with his free hand, gently stroking the expanse of skin with his thumb.

Beast Boy inwardly exploded. He had to be dreaming. However, before he could even blink, Garth pressed his lips to Gar's in a soft, sensual kiss. Beast Boy let his eyes close as everything that was Garth overwhelmed his senses. His taste, his smell, the touch from his lips pressing against his and his hands as they lightly roamed over his body. Garth's perfection.

They pulled apart. Gar was on top of the world.

"Gar," came that soft, lovely voice, "I need this." Gar nodded, truly in disbelief. Since when had everything become so perfect?

Gar was giddy, ready to jump for joy, that was, until he gazed into Garth's eyes. Emptiness. It was no longer the same intense sadness from earlier. Garth had truly lost hope in Roy, and without that hope, he was a shell of what he once was: empty. Suddenly, Gar felt as if he had violated his friend. Stolen him at his most vulnerable. He felt like a rapist.

"Please, Gar," that broken voice admonished. Garfield swallowed. He could not oblige the other, not like this.

"I'm sorry, Garth," he murmured, pulling the other against him. Garth's head fell onto Beast Boy's shoulder, and he began to cry. Gar's heart ached. He felt like crying himself, unable to bear seeing the strong, proud Aqualad like this, but instead, he began stroking the Atlantean's soft ebony tresses. "It's okay," he soothed. "It's okay." He took a deep breath. "Look, any other day, I would've said yes, but today, I'd just be taking advantage of you. You need Roy, right now, not me." Garth nodded into the changeling's shoulder, sobbing. Beast Boy gritted his teeth. "And someone needs to show him that." Taking another breath, Beast Boy gently laid Garth down on the bunk, giving him a warm smile. "I'll be right back." Before Garth could get a word out in response, Garfield was off.

Roy had not moved from the spot since the other two left. Oh how he loathed Garfield Logan! The way he would hold Garth—_his Garth_—in his arms. Make him smile the smiles that were reserved for _Roy only_.

However, before he could brood more on the subject, the object of Roy's hatred stalked down the hallway looking murderous. As soon as he saw Roy, his aura intensified, and before the other could even blink, Gar had him pinned to the wall. If the redhead was intimidated by anything, it was that, in his rage, Beast Boy's pupils had become predator-like slits.

"Look," growled the green boy. "I don't like you; in fact, I _hate_ you, but I _love_ Garth. And Garth loves you. And in case you haven't noticed, your being indecisive is making him suffer. So, either you get your act together and work things out with him, or I'll shove those quantum arrows so far up your ass you'll be coughing up smoke for days. _Are we clear_?" Roy managed a small nod in his shock. "Good. Well, I have to go comfort Garth more (no thanks to you), and you'd _better_ talk to him soon." With that, he let Roy down and returned to his room.

There, he found a very confused (but adorably so) Garth. Beast Boy's grin returned. "Hey," he greeted warmly as he closed the door behind him.

Garth managed a small smile in return as Beast Boy took a seat next to him. "How d'you feel?" Garth just sighed, head falling back onto Gar's shoulder. Beast Boy laughed. "Tired?" A small nod. This time, Gar sighed. "I talked to Speedy for you," he confessed. Garth stiffened. "Don't worry. I just told him to talk to you," he explained, leaving out the more threatening details. Garth seemed relieved at that and nodded again. Beast Boy smiled, pressing a quick kiss to Garth's temple. "Garth…if Speedy doesn't pull through for you…you always," he paused, unsure for a moment. "You always have me. I…I really like you Garth." Their eyes met. "Maybe even more than Terra…and I…I don't mind being second to Roy if it means being with you." Gar saw unshed tears in Garth's violet eyes.

"Yes," he whispered. "Gar, if thing's don't work out…you'll be the first person I come to." They shared a kiss, sweet and fleeting, but enough.

"What do you say we call it a night?" Garth smiled sleepily, nodding. He curled up under the covers as Beast Boy turned off the lights, heading to the top bunk. "Night, Garth." The Atlantean felt an unbelievable relief flowing through him. Gar did have that effect after all.

"Good night, Gar," he whispered, before a comfortable silence lulled him to sleep.

Meanwhile, Roy tossed and turned in bed. It was just not the same without Garth to hold. He felt like half a man. No sleep would come.

Beast Boy's words just kept running through his head, torturing him: _"And in case you haven't noticed, your being indecisive is making him suffer."_ Was it true? Was he really making Garth cry? Making him stare longingly out at the ocean? Making him seek solace in Beast Boy? _"I love Garth."_ What if they were lying together right now? Roy could just imagine it: green arms as they wrapped around a lithe Atlantean waist. Garth curled up against Beast Boy's smaller frame—no! That was _Roy's_ job. His eyes narrowed.

Roy did not know whether he loved Garth, whether or not he was acting on his own feelings or false, trauma-induced ones, but Roy did know that he wanted Garth in his arms, _right_ _now_.

He got up and marched over to Beast Boy's room, expecting the worst. Instead, he opened the door to find Garth fast asleep on a separate bunk from the changeling. He sighed in relief. Like a burglar in the night, he snuck his way over to the bottom bunk. Garth was adorable. Under the blanket, his face was completely relaxed, child-like, lips slightly parted as he breathed softly. He snuggled against the pillow, lips curling into the sweetest of smiles every once in a while.

Roy completely lost all sense of anger towards Beast Boy as he marveled at the angelic creature before him. He smiled, gently tucking a stray lock of ebony hair behind Garth's ear. The sleeping boy leaned into the touch, lightly babbling. "You're so cute," whispered the archer. Garth sighed longingly. Unable to help himself, Roy placed the softest of kisses on Garth's precious lips. The redhead had missed that taste.

"Roy…" came the Atlantean's dreamy voice. That settled it. Roy was taking Garth back where he belonged.

Gently, he lifted Garth out of bed and carried him, bridal style, out of the room. The violet-eyed boy leaned into Roy's chest. "The only thing I know for sure," he whispered into the other's ear, "is that I want you by my side."

Upon arriving at _their_ room, Roy laid the sleeping boy on the bed, taking special care to put him into a comfortable position. He lay down beside him, pulling the covers over them both and bringing Garth into his arms. The Atlantean immediately curled closer, snuggling into Roy's chest. The redhead dropped a kiss to the violet-eyed boy's head.

"Night, Babe," he whispered before easily falling asleep himself.

All was well with the world again.

***So, who else is thinking, "What's Garth gonna do when he wakes up?" Personally, I'd freak out: "Holy crap! I sleepwalk—oh, never mind then." Yeah, but seriously, how'd you feel about the love quadrilateral (RoyxGarthxGarxTerra)? If you're confused, unfortunately, it gets worse, because by the end of this story, that quadrilateral will be a pentagon (ZOMG!). Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I definitely had fun writing about how much Gar and Roy want to kill each other. It's quite entertaining. I managed to do 10,000 words! Can you believe it? Though, I might've done that already in chapter 3. Long chapters, right? Still, can you believe that about two paragraphs worth of dialogue caused so much pain for Garth and Roy? Just goes to show: be careful what you say. At least I didn't leave you guys on a cliffie; no, I'm not that evil (personal pet peeve of mine, actually; I HATE dramatic tension in romances). No biggie. Well, see you next time, y'all!**


	8. Surge

***I'm alive…can you guys believe it? Six months. I've graduated! I'm going to Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts! God, it's been so long! Well, are you guys excited? I know I am. I finished up the chapter last night. It was supposed to be twice as long, but I ended up deciding to split the chapter in two so that you guys can get the update in half the time. Hopefully, since I'm back into this story with a vengeance and since it's summer, I'll be back to updating at the end of the week like I was back in January. I've mapped out the entire story from here, so it should be a little less than 20 chapters by the end. Also, I got a new computer. I hope it works with fanfic as well as my last computer did. Well, only one way to find out! Anyway, please, enjoy yourselves, and I'm super excited to hear from you all again! Please let me know what's new with you if you leave a review. **

**P.S.**

**Is it just me, or do other people have to resist the urge to type Karen Beecher Stowe instead of just Karen Beecher. I know, I know, technically it was Harriet Beecher Stowe, but still. I always get that urge. Bizarre, right? **

**Notes: I'm not entirely sure what the layout for Titans East Tower is, so I sort of played it by ear. Harriet Beecher Stowe was the author of **_**Uncle Tom's Cabin**_**, one of the most important texts of the abolitionist movement. Mal Duncan is the Herald's real name. Also, When Mas and Menos speak, it's bolded to represent that they're speaking Spanish. "****Te quiero" apparently means "I love you" in Spanish…well at least, according to the internet it does. **

**Chapter 7: Surge**

Roy walked into a familiar room. The kitchen, but something was wrong. This was not the Titans' Tower kitchen. No, this was the kitchen in Titans East Tower! He would recognize those checkerboard floor tiles and that large round table anywhere. How? How could he be here? He could not have sleepwalked all the way to Steel City, right? Roy massaged his temples; it was going to be a _long_ day.

He moved to enter the kitchen and take a seat by that oh-so-familiar table, but he found that he could not move past the doorway. For, the moment in which he attempted to cross, the whole room seemed to warp and ripple as if it were made of water. Roy jumped back, shocked at this anomaly. Biting his lip out of nerves, he tried again, this time reaching through the doorway with his hand. However, the moment that he came too close, the doorway way seemed to warp around his fingers, forming to their shape. All of the colors of the room melded and blurred together as the integrity of the furniture and the basic structure of the room disappeared, allowing the shapes to warp and ripple.

Roy was mesmerized by the sight before him, but he decided it best to remove his hand. He did so slowly, struggling against the pull of the substance, finally he managed to wrench his hand from the doorway, only to be met with a horrific sight. His hand had been stripped away leaving only the skeleton with bits of rotten tissue. Green eyes widened. He attempted to flex his hand, which the skeleton hand did exactly. It was definitely _his_ hand. Roy was ready to scream. How? Would he ever be able to string a bow again? Fire an arrow? He could not protect Garth in this condition. However before he could truly mourn the loss of his hand, the muscle tissue and skin began to regrow, layer by layer. Soon enough, his entire hand was restored, no sign that it had been nothing but bones only seconds earlier.

The redhead blinked. This day could not get any crazier. He looked back up at the kitchen (or what was posing as it) only to find something that made Roy want to cry out in shock, or rather someone.

Karen Beecher.

She stood just on the other side of the door, looking as she always had: with those expressive hazel eyes, her long hair styled in buns, and standing tall and proud, the leader of Titans East. Of course, she was wearing her Bumblebee suit and as always, she was staring incredulously at Roy, as if he had done something stupid.

Roy fell to his knees in front of the doorway. "It can't be…" he managed. Bee was dead; Karen was supposed to be dead! Roy wanted to run over to her, throw his arms around her, and ask how she beat death, but he knew, almost instinctively, that once he entered the doorway and became a full skeleton, once he crossed that threshold, he would not be coming back. Not yet. He could not cross yet.

Instead, he met her eyes, silently begging her to explain everything. Karen caught his subtle plea and reached through the doorway to his side; her hand was stripped bare as well. And when Roy saw this, he understood. They could not touch. To do so would mean crossing into the other's dimension. For Karen, this would mean becoming nothing more than a corpse, a body, an empty vessel. For Roy, this would mean death, and only death. Suddenly, Roy understood where he was.

The crossroads. Purgatory.

And when their eyes met again, she merely nodded, confirming his epiphany. She closed her eyes; their time together was limited. She could only manage one sentence before they had to leave each other again. Unshed tears were decorating her hazel eyes. "Take care of him, Roy," she whispered. It would have to do for now.

Roy awoke with a start, panting heavily. It was a dream, all a dream. He was still at the Titans' Tower, and Karen was still dead. Just a dream.

A body gently nuzzled him in its sleep: Garth. _"Take care of him, Roy."_ Something told him that Karen meant something bigger than just fevers or rival Beast Boys. Much bigger. The redhead kissed Garth's forehead, earning him a cute mumble in response. "I will, Karen," he whispered. "I promise."

Garth walked through emptiness, pure emptiness. It was devoid of life and color, a completely different dimension. It was cold, even for Garth, who could dive to the very bottom of the ocean without even shivering. Something was very wrong.

"Raven?" he tried. "Mal?" They would be the only people who could possibly find him here. "Can you hear me?" No answer, He trudged forward, and as he walked further, strange rips in the very fabric of reality began to adorn the dimension. Some of them were completely closed off, nothing behind them, but others were quite different.

A blue rift caught his eye, a very deep navy, like a clear night. Garth peered into it. There he saw Raven. And she was fighting Trigon! Eyes widening, Garth ran to help her, only to find that there was a barrier, keeping him out. However much force he put into it was rebounded back on him. But he had to help! Raven needed him. He banged against the forcefield, shouting, "Raven! I can't get to you, but I'm here! I'll find a way over to you! We'll get through this!" Raven appeared to have heard him. She turned; indigo eyes met violet. Raven gave him a rare smile and jumped back into the fight. She was winning, and Garth knew that she would be all right.

Still, Garth had no idea as to where he was. All that he knew was that he could not help Raven from here. He had to keep moving. He saw a green rift in the distance. Dashing over to it, the Atlantean looked in only to see Beast Boy gorging himself on as many tofu-products as he could get his hands on. Garth beamed. "Have fun, Gar," he encouraged.

He continued over to a red rift, looking in only to have his violet eyes widen once again. He reached out to the rift, but his hand was rebounded with ten times the force. Someone _really_ did not want him to enter. Inside was Robin, and he was fighting the Joker. The latter had a bound and gagged Starfire in a cage behind him. Cyborg was on the other side of the room, being disassembled. Raven and Beast Boy were both lying lifeless between Robin and the Joker. And Robin looked scared as hell. But, how was this possible? How could Beast Boy be both eating dinner and lying there at the same time? How could Raven still be fighting her father? Was it a trick? Could they be in two places at once?

Robin fell to his knees. The Joker stalked towards him, cackling. Garth's eyes narrowed. He ran to the dimensional rip and began pounding on the barrier, ignoring the painful recoil. "Robin!" he cried. "It's okay! You can win! I know you can! You've beaten him hundreds of times before, and you can do it again! I'll find a way to help you; I promise!" The Joker grew furious as some of the fire returned to Robin's eyes. He looked to Garth with mad eyes, grabbed a ragdoll from his pocket, and chucked it at the Atlantean.

However, before Garth could catch the object, the doll expanded into metal restraints, which wrapped around his torso. Garth heard a faint call of "Mama" before his entire body was overwhelmed with electricity. Garth did his best not to scream as the shock traveled across every molecule in his body. His eyes rolled back into his head as his limbs shook uncontrollably. Finally, the current stopped as the device ran out of power. Garth panted, trying to ignore his aching head; Robin needed him to be encouraging.

He stood on legs wracked with tremors, weakly smiling at his friend. "I'm all right," he lied. "You can do this, Robin! I would trust you before Batman to take him down. You're brilliant, Robin! Get this clown back the insane asylum he belongs in!" The Joker threw a bomb at the source of his enemy's newfound confidence, in an attempt to crush that confidence before it crushed him.

The force of the explosion was enough to blow Garth into next week in his weakened state. He could only hear Robin's frantic cry of "_Aqualad!_" and the Joker's insane laughter as he was blown right into another rift; except this time, there was no barrier to crash against. Garth flew right _into_ the rift, into another world.

However, this new world was far more familiar than Garth ever expected: Titans East Tower. He was home. The Atlantean beamed as he took in his surroundings. It was night; his "room" (a tank which led into the sea when the door was open) was calm, and the waters seemed to whisper, "Welcome back, Garth." He just wished that Roy could see this: a Titans East Tower that was not ravaged from that awful night. Perhaps someday, he and Roy could fix up the Tower again. Karen, Mas, and Menos might not be waiting for them, but at least they could be home again.

Garth knelt down by the water, gently running his hand through the familiar depths. He moved his hands in circles, slowly, methodically. He let his eyes fall closed. The water sounded soothing at first, but that white noise was broken when an oh-too-familiar noise went along with it: the sound of water molecules coalescing. He opened his eyes. In front of him was a swirling mass of water, following the motion of his hand in perfect sync: his powers, hydrokinesis.

But how? The Machtlos should have…suddenly, it came to him. His face fell. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?"

Expecting no response, Garth was nearly floored when he heard two voices reply, "Si, Señor Aqualad."

No. It couldn't be! Garth could not believe his ears. "No," he uttered, "but you're…you're…" He turned only to be faced with a pair of twins standing side-by-side. The Atlantean began to tear up. "Is it really you?" he whispered in disbelief. The twins nodded with equally big smiles on their faces. Garth dashed over to them and pulled them both into a tight embrace. "Oh, Poseidon! I've missed you two so much!"

"**Us too!"** cried Mas.

"**We wanted to see you so badly!"** Garth nodded, understanding every word. Working on a team with two Spanish-speaking Titans tended to kill language barriers pretty quickly.

Garth sighed, reveling in the fact that he had the twins back in his arms again, just like old times. "Why didn't you guys come sooner then?" he teased, though the fondness in his voice was undeniable. The two were quiet. Garth looked up. "Oh! I was only teasing—I didn't mean to—"

"**No, it's not that,"** explained Menos.

"**We were really worried about you, Garth,"** added Mas.

"**For a while, we thought you were just gonna sit by our graves for the rest of your life…"**

Their graves. That's right. No matter how real the dream felt, how real the twins felt in his arms, Mas and Menos were still dead. Garth swallowed almost unable to handle the weight of that realization.

"_Don't make me watch you waste away out here."_

Roy. He had to be strong for Roy. He practically promised himself on their graves that he would keep pushing forward for Roy.

He snapped himself out of his reverie, turning back to the twins. "So, where's Karen?"

"**She's talking to Roy."**

"**We wanted to see him too, but she said he could only handle seeing us one at a time."**

Garth's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused. "Roy's in better shape than me. He could probably see all three of you at once. In fact, I think he'd enjoy that more." Mas and Menos shook their heads. Mas opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted as another presence entered the room. Again, violet eyes widened as Karen Beecher materialized before him. She looked just the same as she always did, but to Garth, she was always beautiful. "Karen?" he called softly. She did not waste another second before pulling the Atlantean into a crushing hug. "Karen," he echoed.

"It's nice to be able to hug at least one of you," she murmured sadly. "I've been missing you, kiddo." Garth nodded into the hug.

"Yes…I've missed you as well, all the time. But tell me, Karen, what do you mean by 'it's nice to be able to hug at least one of you'? Am I the only person you can hug? Why?" Karen had to chuckle at that.

"You never miss a beat, do you?" Garth returned to smile.

"Never have, never plan to, but really, Karen, what do you mean?" Bumblebee let out an exasperated sigh.

"Let's sit down," she murmured, leading Garth over to the couch. Mas sat in his lap, leaving a jealous Menos to sit next to him, Karen on his other side. If only Roy had been there. The team would be complete again. "So," began Karen, "Garth, the reason that I can't touch Roy, nor can Mas or Menos, has to do with the fact that Roy (physically, at least) is an ordinary human.

"What do you mean?" asked Garth, absentmindedly patting Menos's head.

"We're dead, kiddo. If we put too much 'pressure' on Roy, by touching him or appearing together in his dreams, it could kill him. That's just the way things are." Garth could not accept that.

"But you're touching _me_! All three of you are with _me_! Why isn't it killing me?" Karen frowned.

"By all rights, it should be." Garth's eyes widened. Bee just wrapped an arm around him. "Look, kiddo, if we'd pulled this stunt before, you'd be long dead, but now, it's like something about you changed. You're getting stronger, so much stronger, and really fast. The twins and I, we can see it, and it's not normal. Sometimes, I worry you're just gonna burn from the inside out. It's _that_ strong and _that_ sudden."

"But the Machtlos—"

"—is probably the cause in the first place. It's pushing your body to the limit, which is making your powers go haywire. Your body's just overflowing with power, like the Machtlos's a dam and the reservoir just keeps getting bigger. At his rate, you might just burst." Garth grabbed Karen's hand.

"Karen," he whispered in a shaky voice. "You're scaring me…" She rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe him.

"_You're scaring me too, Kiddo," _she thought, but decided against voicing that fact. "Hey," she began softly, "it's gonna be okay. You'll be fine; you always are, but I just want you to be careful, take care of yourself, okay?" He nodded lightly. Suddenly, he was feeling so tired, so very tired.

"Karen," he murmured dazedly, "I'm sleepy…" Karen frowned, looking to Mas and Menos, and the pale, sickly Garth between them.

"We've pushed you to your limit, Kiddo. We can't talk to you much longer, or else you'll die too. We gotta call it a night."

"No! But—" Karen shook her head.

"No buts." Mas and Menos both hugged Garth and received powerful hugs in return.

"**Bye, Garth!" **

"**We'll miss you!" **Garth nodded shakily as if to say, "Same here." He turned to Karen, who hugged him as well.

"Take care of yourself, Sweetie. And keep an eye on Roy while you're at it." Garth smiled nodding. "You gotta stick together, all right?"

"Sure thing, chief," he teased.

"And hug him for me while you're at it, okay?"

"**Me too!"**

"**And me!"** Garth beamed.

"Of course, well bye for now. I love you guys." Karen nodded, winking to show that she returned the love. Mas and Menos both cried "Te quiero" in unison. Then, for Garth, everything grew dark and began to fade away.

He was warm, so wonderfully warm. Something was stroking his hair lovingly. Garth was in heaven. Perfection. Paradise.

Wait a moment. Wasn't Garth supposed to be in Beast Boy's room? This didn't feel like Beast Boy; it felt like…

"Roy? Is that you?" A warm hand pinched his cheek none-too-lightly, answer enough for Garth. "It's you." Roy chuckled. "Did I sleepwalk in here?" he asked as he shifted in Roy's arms.

"I kidnapped you." Garth could not help but to smile.

"I should've known as much." They grew quiet. Garth began to think about what happened with Beast Boy, and Roy about what Beast Boy had said to him. Finally, when the tension reached a peak, both boys burst out, "I'm sorry!" The stared at each other, confused.

"What are you sorry about?" asked Garth.

"_Me_? What're _you_ sorry about?" There was a pause as they gazed into each other's eyes. "I'll go first," murmured Roy, "Look…I'm sorry if I made you feel bad yesterday. I just…didn't know how to respond. I still don't." Garth kept his eyes to the ground. Roy gently cupped his check in his hand. "I don't hate you, Garth," he whispered, as if reading the other's mind. "I accept that you love me, and I'm glad, but… I still have some issues to work out, so…do you mind if we take it slow?"

Garth's heart sank into his stomach. He felt like vomiting. So that's what Roy had meant by "I need some time"? He did not hate Garth? That just made his interactions with Beast Boy seem all the worse. He buried his face in his hands.

"What's wrong?" asked Roy, concerned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Roy, it's nothing like that…I…last night I…I kissed Beast Boy." Roy's face fell.

"Oh…so you prefer him then—"

"No! No, Roy! I don't. I mean I just—I thought you hated me, and he was…he was there for me. I just…Oh, Roy! I'm so sorry! So, so sorry! There's no way I can ever justify—" Roy pulled him into a crushing embrace.

"It's okay," he soothed, trying to ignore the jealousy and pain that bubbled to the surface. "It was a mistake. You didn't mean to…and you cared enough not to lie about it. We can deal with it, okay?"

"You mean it?"

"_Take care of him, Roy."_ Karen was right. He needed to stay with Garth. Once mistaken kiss at a low point should not be enough to tear them apart.

"Yeah," assured Roy. "Yeah, I mean it."

Garth could not believe what he was hearing! Roy was really forgiving him, just like that? How did he end up with such a wonderful person? Garth did not deserve Roy. If his experiences in Atlantis taught him anything, it was that Garth's destiny was to be forever unloved. But had Roy changed that? Garth was now surrounded by people who loved him, Roy at the center. When had everything changed? When had everything become so wonderful?

"Hey," called Roy, concerned. "You okay?"

Garth blinked. "Yeah, just spacing out a bit…" Roy kissed his forehead. The Atlantean blushed. "What was that for?"

"For being adorable." He tried to beat down his blush and inflict the same problem on the redhead.

"Well, you're…um…" Garth's face fell. He had nothing. Again, the archer kissed him, chuckling.

"Like I said, adorable. Seriously though, you can't beat me at this; I'm the master." If Roy didn't know better, he would say that Garth was pouting. "So," he began again, suspiring. "How're you feeling?" Again, the Atlantean blinked violet eyes.

"I'm actually feeling pretty well…" He inwardly checked over his body: fever down, stomach settled, and headache ebbing away. It was the best Garth had felt in days.

Roy grinned. "Well then, what do you say to us going on that date tonight?" Violet eyes widened.

"You…you mean it?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

"No, of course not," he drawled out sarcastically. However, not catching the sarcasm, Garth's face fell.

"Oh," he murmured, crestfallen. "I see." Roy sighed; now he'd done it. He pinched Garth's cheeks.

"It's okay; I was just kidding." Upon hearing this, the Atlantean perked up.

"Oh, okay!"

"You know, we're just lucky that _one of us_ isn't a gullible idiot. Sometimes I wonder how you ever got along without me. Did Tramm used to have to explain to you with the dolphins were messing with you?" Garth frowned in thought.

"As a matter of face, he did." Roy nearly fell over upon hearing this.

"Well, wasn't expecting that," he muttered to himself, "but you gotta give the little guy credit."

"Roy," Garth called, snapping the redhead out of his thoughts.

"What's up?" The violet-eyed boy smiled. Roy could not help but to smile in turn.

"Shall we go down for breakfast?" The archer was about to respond in the positive when seemingly out of nowhere, something important made its way into the forefront of his mind.

"Sure, but first, I have to tell you something. Last night…I had a dream…"

Raven awoke, safe in her own bedroom, just as she always was after one of her horrid dreams about her father. He was gone now; she had made sure of that. Still, he lingered in the dark recesses of her mind, as if simply biding his time, awaiting the perfect moment to strike. This dark, restless energy always seemed to seep into her subconscious, transforming her pleasant dreams into gruesome nightmares. After which, she would be left in a panic-attack-like state, sweat pouring down her body, heart racing, chest heaving with every breath.

But not this morning.

Though Raven had awoke from such a nightmare, she felt completely calm, at ease, as if she had just sat through a particularly peaceful meditation outside the Tower.

She had beaten Trigon last night, forcefully locked him away. She had never done this before. Dream Trigon had a way of becoming exponentially stronger than Raven just by willing it. However, in an actual confrontation, Trigon had no hidden reserves or unknown powers. Raven had grown stronger than her father only once, and that was all it took. Still, in dreams, she was stripped of all her power, a shadow of what she truly was. A mere child with no hope of defeating her father.

However, last night, something changed.

Garth came. It was odd. Though she had always had a certain fondness from the Atlantean, she had never seen him in a dream before. Her teammates had appeared before, but only as bargaining chips for Trigon. Their appearances tended to make her nightmares even more terrifying, not better.

Still, Garth appeared in her dreams so suddenly, almost God-like. He came through a crack in the sky, and did nothing more than cheer her on. Even so, his promise of help and encouragements gave her strength. She found it in her to beat her father herself without need for him to intervene.

Raven smiled. It had turned out to be a good dream. Perhaps she would tell Garth about it later, but for now, it was early. Robin was the only other Titan regularly awake at this hour. She would go up to the top of the Tower and watch the sunrise with him (as she always did when she awoke early enough). She could tell him of her dream. Dick always wanted to know about her nightmares after all. Yes, it was a good plan.

With that, Raven headed up to the top of the Tower where she knew she would find Robin. And she was not disappointed, as the boy wonder was there, watching the sunrise with a strange sot of apprehension. This wasn't like him.

"Hey," Raven called softly. Dick turned, giving her a wry smile. He did not seem to have the energy to make the expression more welcoming. However, since it was Raven, Dick knew that she understood him to be temporarily in a strange mood, nothing more than that.

She took a seat beside him, and the two stared out at the sparkling expanse of water below them, the horizon—the place where the sky and sea met in a loving embrace and together birthed the red sun which bled magnificent shades of purple, pink, and orange. They watched as the brightest of night's glowing stars faded into the light, the night's darkest hues lightening more with every passing moment.

Raven sighed almost longingly. "I see why you do this every morning," she whispered sincerely. Dick did not respond, merely looked out at that breathtaking infinity. This worried Raven. Dick was usually the one _starting_ their conversations, and here he was letting one die. How unlike him. "Dick," she called, deciding to risk a probing question. "What's bothering you? If I can help, I will."_ "After all, you do the same for me all the time,"_ she added in her mind.

To Raven's relief, Robin chuckled. "You're right," he admitted, "if anyone could help me figure this out, it's you." Raven gave him a winning smile, one that she reserved only for their early-morning chats.

"What is it?" she asked, willing to give any kind of advice if it would cheer Dick back up.

"Well, I had the strangest dream last night, and it's really weirding me out. I never had one like it before." Raven nodded encouragingly.

"I know the feeling," she responded simply.

"You had a weird dream last night too?" She nodded again. "Tell me about it."

"You first," Raven practically commanded. "Yours seems to be bothering you a lot more than mine." Dick reluctantly agreed.

"I guess so. Well, my dream started out normally. The usual randomness: I'm talking with Cyborg and the giant buffalo that's in the room, while he's eating an orange and wearing an extraordinarily funny hat." Raven had to laugh at the entertaining image. "But then the dream changed. Suddenly, I was at this warehouse that Br—Batman and I caught the Joker in once. And the Joker…he was there and just as crazy as ever. I looked around and saw Cyborg strapped to a table, being taken apart. You and Beast Boy were on the ground in front of me, and Starfire…Starfire was trapped in a cage behind _him_." Raven grimaced knowing that this entire scenario was one of Dick's deepest fears. "He went for me next. He just walked towards me with that look in his eyes, and I was terrified." Raven nodded, knowing what would happen next.

"And then, right before he could do anything, Garth appeared." Raven snapped up.

"Garth?"

"Yeah, weird, right? Well, Garth literally appeared out of the sky and started encouraging me. He got me willing to fight back, at least until the Joker threw a bomb at him. I didn't see him after that, but I got so pissed that I defeated the Joker myself."

Raven shook her head in disbelief. How could this possibly be true? It was just too similar to be a coincidence.

"So, Rae, what was your dream about?" Raven sighed, giving Robin a serious look.

"Dick, I don't think you're gonna believe this…"

Garth lay happily in Roy's arms. His family was watching over them; the fact that Roy saw Karen in his dream proved it. It was wonderful to know that his team was near, keeping a watchful eye on them. Garth smiled, curling closer to Roy. The archer's hands where entangled in his ebony tresses, lightly massaging his scalp. The Atlantean let out a contented sigh.

However, Roy was not faring quite so well. Garth had explained that in his dream, Karen had warned him to be careful about his powers, that the Machtlos was making his powers grow out of control. All the more reason to get that monstrous thing _off_ him. Roy just didn't know anymore. Everything was giving him a bad feeling. The dream. The day. Even the date was starting to sound like a bad idea. He knew that something was coming, and he wasn't even the one with precognition.

"Roy? Is everything all right?" The archer shook his head.

"Now that you mention it…I'm feeling a little sick…" With that, Garth sprang into action. He quickly forced Roy to lie down, pulled a blanked over him, and began inspecting him for signs of illness.

"Oh, Roy, poor thing. Um…fever?" He felt the archer's forehead. "You feel cool to me…but you would if you had a fever too. Um…oh, what do surface-dwellers usually do to care for their sick? Do you have a tummy-ache? Seaweed always works for—"

He pulled Garth into his arms, gently nuzzling him. He chuckled weakly. "You know, you're so cute sometimes…I could just gobble you up." Garth's eyes widened.

"Ah! Please don't! I know you eat my friends, but I didn't realize you would actually eat an Atlan—" Roy kissed him lightly.

"Relax, babe. It's just an expression. Though, I'm sure you'd taste _good_." He nipped at Garth's neck for emphasis, causing the other to squeal from the suddenness. Roy affectionately kissed the area, allowing the violet-eyed boy to relax. "Like I said, you're the cutest." The Atlantean blushed as snuggled against the other.

Roy lied back down, closing his eyes.

"Can I do anything for you?" Garth asked. Roy made a playful non-committal noise in response. "Why don't I just make us some tea?" The redhead sighed, rolling over.

"Sure babe, that sounds nice." The Atlantean nodded, forcing himself out of bed. He dropped a kiss to the archer's forehead.

"You just stay and relax; I'll be back in a few." Garth threw on a pair of pants and headed out of the room. He briefly glanced out the windows as he walked down the hall. The ocean was calm, almost eerily so. To think that just yesterday he had wanted to return there! Oh the things that Roy Harper made him feel. Now everything had worked out, but still that blue, unmoving water unnerved him.

Perhaps it was the lack of his powers that was making him feel this way? He always had an almost instinctive link with the water, as if the matter was a sentient being that communicated with Garth on the most basic of emotional levels. But now, as he looked out at that waveless mass, something just felt wrong, foreboding. It was too calm.

The Atlantean took a deep breath, deciding to just keep on his toes for now.

He took a few more steps forward when a wave of dizziness hit him head on. Garth's eyes widened as his knees gave out on him. The world briefly flashed white, and in that instant, Garth could hear something as clear as he had heard Roy speak to him earlier. It was deep, thunderous laughter. Garth had no idea who was laughing or why, but he could tell that this person was malevolent, insidious, and when someone like that laughed it was never a good thing.

The Atlantean came to again only moments later. He was on his hands and knees and panting heavily, but the Tower was exactly as it should have been, not a thing out of place, and the laughter was gone. Hoisting himself to his feet, Garth worked to catch his breath.

"That…was weird," he managed. With a sigh, the violet-eyed boy decided that some tea would do _him_ some good as well and headed to the kitchen in an attempt to put the morning's strange events out of his mind.

When the Atlantean finally made his way to the kitchen, he was surprised to find Raven and Robin already there, looking serious.

"Good morning," Garth greeted jubilantly. When neither Titan responded, he knew that something was wrong.

He approached the table and took a seat, Raven and Robin's gazes never leaving his form. "Is everything all right?" he asked, concerned. The other two Titans shared a meaningful glance before turning back to Garth. Raven briefly nodded at Robin

"Well," began Dick, slowly, trying to find the best way to describe the situation. "Raven and I both had these…dreams last night, and we were hoping you might be able to explain what they mean." Garth nodded.

"Well," he smiled, "I need to make some tea, but feel free to tell me about them, and I'll help in any way I can. The Atlantean grabbed a teakettle, filled it with water, and started heating it, simply waiting for Dick or Raven to begin speaking. He was not disappointed.

"Last night," Raven began, "I had a nightmare where I fought my father." Garth stopped dead. It couldn't be…no! Surely a coincidence.

"I'm sure you dream…about that often," he murmured in an attempt to reassure himself.

"Yes," she confirmed, "but last night's was different." The violet-eyed boy tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach and nodded. "When I was about to lose, instead of waking up like I usually do, a crack in the sky opened up, and I saw you. You encouraged me, giving me enough faith in my own abilities to defeat my father." The room grew silent Raven trailed off.

Garth's knees grew weak; he had to grip the counter for support, but before he could truly respond, Robin began to speak.

"The same thing happened in my dream," he explained. I was fighting the Joker. He had my entire team captured and tortured, and he was about to do the same to me when you came. It was just like Raven's dream; you came through a crack in the sky. You encouraged me and helped me until he threw a bomb at you, but you gave me the will to fight again."

The silence was palpable.

Garth's knees _did_ give out on him this time.

"Garth?" Dick called.

"This can't be…" the Atlantean murmured.

"Garth?" Raven helped the addressed into a chair. "Do you know anything about this?"

He shook his head. "No…I mean…I…I dreamt I helped you guys _exactly_ how you described it, but…how? How can this be possible? I—this means I actually…interacted with your subconsciouses, but that's crazy!

Robin massaged his temples. "We don't get it either. At first, we thought maybe Raven was somehow syncing with me in her sleep with her powers, but now that you're involved, this changes the whole game."

"Garth," called Raven, "has anything like this ever happened to you before?"

"Never quite like this…but I feel like there was something." He paused in thought. "Yes, now that I think about it…Once, after this robot attacked us in the Tower, the tank I usually slept in was completely decimated, so I stayed in Roy's room while we rebuilt it. But I started having these really vivid dreams where I was Roy. When I told him about them, it turned out that I had been seeing _his_ dreams the entire time. But I was only _seeing_ the dreams of someone physically close to me. That's pretty normal for a telepath…nothing to this extent."

"It sounds like your telepathy is getting…" Raven trailed off. "Not only stronger, but it's taking new forms as well. And it's developing really quickly."

Garth bit his lip. _"This is just like what Karen said…"_

"But…" the violet-eyed boy began, "shouldn't the Machtlos be fighting this?"

"No," Dick cut in, "I think _your body_ might be _fighting_ _the_ _Machtlos_. I think your powers have been bottled up for so long they're on the brink of exploding. The Machtlos isn't doing what it's supposed to be doing. It's not nullifying your powers; _it's mutating them._"

***! !**

**P.S.**

**I'd like to thank everyone who supported me throughout these 6 months: Dokuhan, ****guardyanangel , Raven's Favorite Emotion , freakyprincess-87, nequam-tenshi , AppleGirlin , Chocohip2000 , RikuTakahashi ,****XxEliza-JanexX , Suka-Kitsune , KawaiiNekoDesuYo , and last but not least, Fangirl140. You guys make everything worthwhile, and if not for you, I may have just put down my pencil on this once. Thanks for everything! Lots of love, and please let me know how you're all doing if you review!**

**P.P.S.**

**I can't count the number of times I wrote the sentence "Garth's eyes widened." Seriously, I need some new thunder. Also…Anyone know the plural of subconscious? I never thought it could be used in plural but…well there you go. Maybe it's like moose or something. **


	9. In Faith, In Compassion, and In Love

***Holy shit. It's been…a LONG time. A LONG LONG time. First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who never gave up on this story (HMP, ****, ****OptimusPrimeAddict,****EliseInWonderland247****, ****InoYamanaka1****,****yaoifanfake****, ****Nerdy Ninja in Training****, ****TarotTerra****, ****CrazyLittleMello,****RayenOfDeadStarsAndPlanets, alexlyoko13****, ****Bizerko-Kittykins,****XxEJMxX ,****Opal21****, ****Dokuhan****, ****guardyanangel****, and last but not least,**** Fangirl140****)**** because as much as you won't believe me, I never gave up on it either; you guys all led the way. I have many words for you all, and they go something like this: "Doubt the stars are fire;/ Doubt that the sun doth move;/ Doubt truth to be a liar;/ But never doubt I love." (**_**Hamlet**_** 2.2, lines 107-110). You guys brought the Shakespeare right out of me. 'Nough said. Oh, and special shout-out to ****guardyanangel and Bizerko-Kittykins****. You guys have been here since the beginning, and I have no idea where I'd be without you!**

**What's new with me, you might not be asking? Let's see, I'm still in college, going into my senior year. Oh my god, I don't even think I was in college when I wrote the last chapter. HOLY SHIT IT'S BEEN LIKE FOREVER. Hahaha (nervous laughter) well, anyway, about this chapter: I find certain parts to be hilarious, and I definitely enjoyed writing it. I hope you all feel the same. I've also had quite a few new ideas in these few years. One of which is a Teen Titans-Young Justice crossover, which I **_**also**_** plan to never update. XD Again, thanks for all of the reviews and support throughout these years. Each time I got a review, it inspired me to write just a little bit more, and after a millennia, I kinda ended up with a chapter. I hope this is worth the wait. If not, I'll just have to try again in another couple years (jk…I hope). Just know I love you all!**

**Notes: This chapter was originally going to be much longer, but I decided to split it in half so you guys could get an update before global warming kills us all. Garth takes the last name Curry when he's trying to have a secret identity on the surface. It comes from Aquaman's civilian name, "Arthur Curry." Oh, and this won't make sense for a little while, but yes, for this chapter, I did in fact look up sexual dimorphism in lobsters.**

**For the mysterious HMP guest reviewer: Thanks so much for your review! I'm replying to it here since there's no way to reply to guest users. First of all, many hearts. Hearts for all. I'm glad you enjoy the drama and cliffhangers, and as you can see, UPLOAD! You are the one who ultimately inspired me to post this. And Dick Grayson. We also have to thank Dick Grayson.**

**Chapter 8: In Faith, In Compassion, and In Love**

Garth backed into the cabinets, sinking to the ground, "I…I," he stammered, "I'm _mutating_?" He took a deep breath swallowing. Raven nodded.

"From the looks of it. I can even sense it from you…I sense change. I've…never felt anything quite like it before."

Garth's violet eyes grew ever wider. Dick frowned.

"But," he cut in, "we can't know anything for sure until we run some tests. Vic can probably—"

"No!" cried Garth. Both other Titans were taken aback by the vehement reply.

"Garth?" Dick called, concerned.

"Please," the Atlantean admonished, softer this time, "can we just keep this to ourselves?" Both Raven and Robin were appalled by the very thought.

"Garth, this is extremely important—"

"We can't just—"

"I know," he murmured in response, knowing full well that if he was in their positions, he would be acting the same way, "but if we tell everyone, they'll be worried…scared. Especially Roy and Garfield. They'll want to do anything to get this thing off me, but if they're frantic, they'll be rash. They might end up against the person who did all this…and…_I don't anyone else to get killed because of me_!" Garth buried his face in his hands, shoulder shaking. He was so close to tears.

"Garth," began Robin, standing up to put a hand on the poor Atlantean, "it wasn't your fault. You—" The tea kettle whistled, nearly giving all three Titans heart attacks in the process.

"Please," Garth begged again. "We can't do anything besides try to get the Machtlos off of me, and everyone's already working on that…the Justice League too. So, let's not worry them anymore than they already are." Robin and Raven knew this was a feeble argument. Really, as if the other Titans wouldn't be working day and night, ten times harder if they knew how the device was affecting Garth. Still, Raven sighed in defeat, looking to Dick, who reluctantly nodded.

"All right," the latter conceded. "But if Raven or I find _any_ reason to believe that telling everyone would be in your best interest, then we _will_." Garth nodded.

"…If you must."

With that, Garth began steeping the tea. Roy was expecting it after all, and he couldn't give the archer any reason to believe that something was wrong. He sat back down, noting Raven and Robin's concerned expressions. He supposed that they had every right to be worried. Violet eyes softened. He took both of their hands in his.

"Rae, Dick…I'll be okay." He smiled. "Nothing's going to happen to me; I promise." Both Titans found some relief in this, but still remained skeptical.

Sighing, the Atlantean stood. "Well, I ought to take Roy his tea. I'll be back in a bit." He grabbed two mugs of tea and headed back to his room. As he returned down the hallway, he took another wayward glance towards the sea.

The same: grey. Foreboding. Stagnant.

Garth frowned. Violet eyes transfixed by those eerie waters. "What are you trying to tell me?" There was no response. Not even a ripple. Garth's grip on the mugs tightened as he forced himself to move on. He returned to his and Roy's room in no time.

"Roy," he called as he entered. "I brought the tea." The redhead lay on the bed, staring up at the violet-eyed boy. He grinned, making Garth smile in turn. He took a seat on the bed, curling next to the archer. "How are you feeling?" the Atlantean asked, handing Roy a mug.

"Better," he murmured with a yawn. "Just tired as you can see." For a few moments, the two drank their tea in peace. Then…

"Garth," Roy called seriously, "is it just me or…does something about this morning seem…off?" Garth swallowed nervously. Could it be that Roy knew about his "mutating."

"How so?" asked the Atlantean. Roy shrugged, obviously ignoring the violet-eyed boy's fidgeting.

"It's almost like…something's really wrong, but I can't figure out why or even what it is." Garth blinked, surprised as the redhead's words just seemed to click.

"Actually," he began, "I think I know what you mean." He thought of all the strangeness from that morning: the sea, their dreams, his powers, his conversation with Raven and Robin. Something strange was certainly was going on, but why today of all days? What could it mean?

"I've just had this bad feeling all day," continued Roy, "like I'm forgetting or missing something, but I can't figure out what that something is." The archer sighed, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm just being crazy…" Garth shook his head.

"No, Roy, I think you're right."

"Hm…maybe we should tell Raven about it," he mused aloud. "I mean, she's good with these kind of things, right?" Garth's eyes widened.

"No!" he replied a little too forcefully. Realizing his mistake, he avoided Roy's eyes, fidgeting again. "I mean…" he trailed off.

"_If Raven or I find __**any**__ reason to believe that telling everyone would be in your best interest, then we __**will**__."_

Garth had a feeling that foreboding omens and feelings warranted "telling everyone." He couldn't let Roy say anything.

"Well," he continued slower, more rationally (despite the fact that he was lying through his teeth), "I don't think precognition is Raven's strong suit. She's more about empathy and soul-selves. We shouldn't worry her without reason since she probably won't be able to shed any more light on the situation than we already have."

Garth truly believed he deserved a medal for that response. Especially since Roy seemed to mull over this claim.

"I guess you're right," he conceded. "We'll just have to wait until something happens I guess. Who knows? Maybe it's nothing." Garth nodded, letting out an inward sigh of relief.

After a half-hour, Roy was feeling much better. They decided to head to the kitchen for breakfast. Garth, of course, was not particularly hungry (and was considering the idea that he might never be hungry again after what he'd found out earlier that morning), but he tried to fake it, for Roy's sake.

By the time they made I to the main room, they found almost all the Titans in the kitchen area. Robin and Starfire were chatting away with Jinx while Raven appeared to be meditating nearby. Kid Flash was alternating between joining the conversation and making pancakes.

"Hey," Roy greeted as he entered. Garth just smiled before giving Robin and Raven meaningful glances.

"Good morning, friends!" said Kory jubilantly as she pulled them both into one-armed hugs.

"Good morning, Kory," Garth replied, feeling a bit better (Starfire did have that effect on people after all).

Speedy took a seat beside Robin. He had noticed that the latter seemed strangely out of sorts and kept glancing over at Raven. "You okay over here?" Roy asked. Dick was startled (a rare sight), seemingly surprised at the archer's sudden question, but quickly shook it off.

"Yeah," he answered after a pause. Roy was not convinced. He frowned.

"You sure? You seem kinda…spaced out." Dick shook his head.

"It's nothing; I just had a bizarre nightmare last night." Roy nodded, empathizing.

"Yeah? What happened?"

"I…can't really remember," he lied, thinking that the redhead might already know about Garth's "dream." He continued, "Only that it really freaked me out." Roy nodded.

"Yeah, Garth and I didn't exactly have the best nights either—" He was about to continue on further when the remaining two Titans entered the room.

Beast Boy's eyes lit up upon seeing Garth. "Dude, there you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Garth smiled at the sight of Gar, but his face fell as he remembered the previous night's events. He did not meet the changeling's eye as he murmured, "Oh, Roy and I made up." Beast Boy frowned.

His voice held no joy as he replied, "Oh…that's great."

It was Wally who asked, "Did you guys have a fight or something?" All three blushed.

"Uh…sort of," Speedy replied.

"Yes," Garth continued for him, "Roy and I had a fight yesterday, so I slept in Gar's room last night…but we made up earlier this morning." The Titans accepted this explanation at first, but things quickly became awkward.

It was very clear that Beast Boy and Speedy could no longer even be _civil_ to each other. They glared across the table at one another throughout the entirety of the meal. If looks could kill, they would have both been brutally decapitated by an axe-murderer. It seemed that each _completely _blamed the other for _everything_ that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

Meanwhile, Garth wanted to bury himself in the ground. It was not just the fact that two of the most important people in his life were fighting; it was also the fact that they were fighting over _him_.

Finally, Cyborg snapped, "Okay, what is _wrong_ with you two?! I thought you said Speeds and _Garth_ fought last night! Some anger between _them_ would make sense, but this is just ridiculous. What am I missing here?"

"Nothing!" Beast Boy and Speedy snarled simultaneously. This effectively banned the subject altogether. Garth thought that crawling in a hole to die sounded like a favorable option, at least in comparison to being at the kitchen table just then. He glanced at Robin, silently begging for help. Dick simply shrugged, having no tangible solution in mind.

"Water!" Garth shouted suddenly, getting the attention of the entire team. "I…I, uh, need water…going to go shower," he stammered out. "Bye!" With that pathetic excuse, he bolted out of the room despite the fact that he had just drunk two large glasses of salt water and was nowhere near dehydrated.

Raven turned to the two still-glaring boys and uttered a simple, "Nice going."

Garth sighed as he made his way towards the shower. Though he technically didn't need it, a shower did sound nice. He ran a hand through his long black locks in exasperation. "This is all my fault," he murmured. "What am I going to do with those two?"

Entering the bathroom, he took a moment just to look at himself in the mirror, something he hadn't done in quite a while. It was hard to believe his body was changing. _Mutating_. He looked the same as ever: same black hair, same pale skin, same accursed violet eyes.

Though, his eyes _did_ seem brighter than usual, and…getting brighter by the second almost as if they were…his eyes were glowing! How—when—? This never happened before! _Ever_! Garth slapped his hands over his eyes suddenly in sheering pain. What was happening to him? He had never felt pain like this before. His eyes were _on_ _fire_. They were burning, so hot; they were going to burst into flames!

"Poseidon, oh _Poseidon_! This isn't happening! It's not!" He continued to mumble pleas and denials as he backed into the wall and sank to the floor. His eyes were glowing violet and burning like the hell they were meant to represent. That abominable, loathsome color. The color that sealed his fate from birth and never gave him peace since. "Nonononono! Please, not this! This is_ not_ happening. Oh God. Oh God!" He clenched his hands over his eyes, bringing his knees to his chest in a pseudo-fetal position. "I'm not a demon," he choked out finally, "I'm not evil. I'm not a demon!"

A knock on the door quickly shook his out of his panic.

"Garth, you okay in there?"

Roy.

The Atlantean quickly covered his face again. Oh God, were his eyes still glowing? The burning was starting to calm down now for some reason, but he just couldn't let Roy see him like—

Too late.

The door opened revealing a concerned redhead. Garth felt like a deer in headlights, but Roy didn't seem shocked or horrified. Did the glowing stop? The pain had disappeared and left him with a dull migraine. What the hell had just happened? The archer knelt down beside him. "Shit, you must've really needed some water."

The glowing was gone now. He knew that for sure. Roy didn't seem to know. He didn't suspect anything. He simply thought Garth was dehydrated, and that was why he was on the floor. He breathed a sigh of relief before faking a smile (probably the shakiest, most grimace-like smile he had ever produced).

"Yeah…just got dizzy is all. Needed to sit down."

Roy didn't seem entirely convinced. He brushed a hand thought his companion's smooth dark hair. Garth leaned into the touch. "You sure you're okay, babe?"

No. Not at all. He was _mutating_. Hell, he was still shaking from fright.

Roy frowned, sitting down next to Garth. He gently coaxed Garth to lie his head on his broad shoulder. Garth couldn't help but close his eyes and let out a contented sigh. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" Roy murmured, absentmindedly stroking his cheek. Garth opened his eyes, looking deep into Roy's kind and loving green ones. He almost told Roy everything. He almost let himself weep into Roy's shoulder, telling him all about his powers, about his glowing, burning eyes, about being ostracized by the Atlanteans, about being abandoned on that godforsaken reef.

But he didn't.

Though he knew Roy would hold him and comfort him and tell him that everything would be all right, he also knew that Roy would be scared and worried, and above all he would do anything to keep Garth safe, charging into the hideout of the ones that did this to him included (once they found it that is).

He couldn't let the archer do that. He couldn't let Roy die. Never. Never never _never_. So he kept his feelings to himself, looked up at Roy, and with a façade of happiness, he replied, "I know, and don't worry; I am just fine." Roy gave him a gentle smile that nearly caused him to melt into a puddle of goo (a guilty one at that) right then and there. The redhead helped Garth up and held him close. Though the latter was still shaken, Roy's familiar warmth and heavenly scent quickly calmed him.

"Come on," the archer encouraged, "let's get you some water."

Garth and Roy soon returned to the rest of the Titans. Between Beast Boy and Cyborg's shenanigans, Kid Flash and Jinx's stories, and Robin, Starfire, and Raven...being Robin, Starfire, and Raven, the morning quickly became late afternoon.

It was a quiet day. A good day. A day of recovery. And for that, the Titans (one Atlantean especially) were grateful. Lord knows, Garth had needed some downtime. By four o' clock, he had completely forgotten about the baleful omens of the morning. However, he did not fail to notice the lingering, almost _nervous_ looks Roy was giving him.

Garth was sitting on the couch, gazing obliviously out the windows when Roy finally made his move. The archer took a seat next to him. Without even thinking, the ebony-haired boy rested his head on Roy's shoulder, giving him a small smile. Roy did his best to hide his blush as he let out an overdramatic sigh. "You know, you being _fucking adorable_ is just making this even _harder_."

It was Garth's turn to blush (madly at that) as he asked, "Making what even harder?" **(A/N MY PENIS!)** The redhead grinned that Cheshire cat smile of his.

"Well, about that date..." Upon realizing that this was Roy's special way of telling him to get ready for their first ever "romantic outing," Garth simply beamed, Considering that this particular smile had to be one of the most gorgeous sights of Roy's life, the redhead sighed again. "I swear to god. You're doing this on purpose," he deadpanned.

"Are these really necessary?" Garth asked five minutes later as he fingered the sunglasses Roy forced on him. Roy grinned as he none-too-gently pinched Garth's cheeks. "Ow!" The redhead put the sunglasses over Garth's eyes, laughing.

"Do you wanna be inconspicuous or not?" The Atlantean made Roy's favorite expression: pouting. Roy smirked, leaning in so close that his breath was tickling the other's ear. "Besides," he murmured, "you look good." He placed a quick kiss to Garth's neck.

Ah yes, he couldn't forget about the expression that came in a close second: flustered.

"N-No! That is not—that is—I—" Garth babbled on, fidgeting, a huge deep blush spread across his face. Roy had to admire his handiwork. The Atlantean seemed to give up at this point, burying his face in Roy's shoulder to hide his furious blush. "I hate you." The archer smiled, petting Garth's soft obsidian tresses.

"Of course you do." Garth mumbled something in Atlantean that Roy assumed was an insult. "Are you done?" He took the other's silence as a yes. "Okay, let's go."

As the two moved to leave the Tower, they passed by Robin who was monitoring something on the computer. With only a passing glance, Dick knew _exactly_ what was going on. "Have fun, you two," he commented with a knowing smile, "and have him back by ten, Roy." Garth glanced quickly between Roy and Dick before it all clicked.

"He _knows_?! But how—when—I didn't even know until—"

"Please, Garth," Robin cut in, "I'm a detective." Roy mouthed out a "thanks" since he'd rather Garth not know about his and Robin's little chat on the rooftop the other day (for now at least).

Dick tossed Roy a bag, which the archer caught on reflex alone. "What's this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your bow and arrows," the Titans' leader replied simply. "Just in case, but hopefully, you won't need them." The redhead gave a curt nod, hoisting the bag over his shoulder.

He grabbed Garth's hand. "Shall we?" The Atlantean snapped out of his stupor and smiled, and with that, they were off.

As the boy wonder watched his friends leave, he couldn't ignore the ominous feeling that bubbled up from his core. Something big was about to go down; he could feel it in his bones, and Bruce had always said to trust his instincts. Even so, maybe he was just being paranoid. He clutched his communicator lightly in his hands. Roy could handle any bad business, and if not, Titans Central was just a call away. They'd be fine…but just in case…Dick pressed a few keys on the computer. A map of Jump City popped up showing two blinking red dots as they left Titans Tower. Roy and Garth. Robin minimized the window and kept it on the corner of the screen as he continued working.

He could always keep an eye on them from here.

It was the first time Garth had ever gone out in "civvies" as Roy had called them (though the proper term would probably be a disguise). He marveled at the way no one gave him a second glance. Never in his life had he been able to blend in with a crowd before! In Atlantis, everyone recognized him as either the "demon-eyed boy" or the ward of their benevolent king, and on the surface, people immediately noticed his "Atlantean" eyes (not the mention the gills).

But all it took was a pair of sunglasses and a turtleneck, and suddenly, he was no different than anyone else on the surface. He wasn't Aqualad or Garth of Shayeris. For now, he was simply "Garth Curry," and he was on a date with the most amazing person in the world.

As Garth admired his new state of camouflage, Roy couldn't help but admire _Garth_. The Atlantean really was something else. Beautiful and kind but also dangerous, strong, and challenging. Roy reached out and grasped Garth's hand in his. A seemingly innocuous gesture, one he'd done dozens of times before, but today, it was different. Today, it was far more meaningful.

Garth turned to his companion, lips slightly parted in awe. Roy gave a small smile, reassuringly squeezing the other's hand. Garth's features softened into a gentle smile as he squeezed back.

"So," began the redhead, "where're we headed?"

Garth blinked, brows furrowing. "…Why are you asking me? I thought you planned this date." Roy smirked, arching his brow in turn.

"How could I? I don't know anything about Jump. I just followed everyone else's lead last time we were here. Besides, _you're_ the one who used to live here."

"Yeah, _in the_ _ocean_! Why would I know anything about the city? I didn't know _you_ yet, and _you're_ the one who taught me everything about the surface world!"

This quite literally stopped Roy in his tracks.

"…_I_ taught you everything about the surface?"

A rosy blush ran across Garth's face at the archer's soft, almost amazed tone.

"Yeah," Garth looked away bashfully. "It's…you remember when I first came here? I apologized all the time and always spoke so formally. I didn't even know what a toaster was. But you…you always goaded me into arguments and teased me." He laughed. "You used to make me so angry! Did you know that no one ever teased me before you? I…well, Roy…" The aforementioned could see those violet eyes shimmering with love and admiration, even behind the tinted glasses. "Roy, if you hadn't been there, I'd probably still be the broken boy that Orin left behind."

That was it for Roy. He crushed Garth against him, holding him so tightly.

"Wha—? Roy, what're you—?"

"Thank you," the archer whispered so sincerely, so filled with raw emotion that he could barely find the words to speak. The Atlantean managed a bewildered smile.

"What ever for?"

"For needing me…" Then Garth understood. It was that crippled self-esteem of Roy's. That feeling of futility and meaninglessness that drove him to drugs, to near suicide. Garth gave Roy fulfillment, a feeling of being needed and wanted. Garth made Roy feel useful, loved, and indispensible, which was slowly filling that empty void in the archer's chest.

Garth hugged Roy back just as hard.

It seemed that they needed each other.

"You know," the black-haired boy mentioned after a few moments, "we still have no idea where we're going."

Roy grinned. "Let's just walk around until we find something."

The wandered aimlessly for a while, but it soon became clear that they were lost in a business district with nothing even remotely interesting around. Roy saw an advertisement for the Jump City Aquarium and suggested they go. Garth, of course, having no idea what an aquarium was, asked about it. This ended in disaster as the Atlantean shouted, "_Fish in captivity_?! Those monsters! We have to save those poor fish!" It took almost five minutes of pleading, plus reminding Garth of his lack of hydrokinesis and telepathy, and explaining that aquarium fish were "perfectly happy and well taken care of" for Garth to relent in his new mission of destroying _all_ aquariums.

Finally, after being kicked out of a laundry-mat, a bank, and a post-office, the couple got directions to the "fun" area of town.

"This is a disaster," commented Roy.

Garth pecked his cheek, giving him a broad smile. "Really, I think it's kind of…fun!"

And that was enough for Roy.

"Now this is more like it," Roy said, nodding to himself as he and Garth entered the shopping district. "What do you want to do first?"

A hesitant hand reached out to touch his. Roy didn't even think before grasping Garth's hand in his again. Garth, blushed, smiling shyly.

"Anything's fine."

"Well, there's a bookstore over there. Uh…there's also an arcade, but that's more of Cyborg's thing, and…" the archer trailed off upon noticing that his companion was staring dreamily at him. "…What?"

"It's nothing! I'm just…really happy!" Garth's beaming smile could've melted the ice right off of _Slade Wilson's_ heart. Roy was doomed. He turned to the nearest brick wall and banged his head against it, hiding his fiery red face. "Roy…is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," he murmured. _"But if you smile like that again, I might actually die,"_ he added internally. "Let's go to that bookstore."

Books were never really Roy's thing. He didn't like to read anymore than he had to. Garth, on the other hand, was in heaven. Knowing the Atlantean, he could spend hours pouring over texts, even ones as mundane as "how to" books.

"See anything you like?" asked the redhead as he watched Garth sift through stacks upon stacks of books.

"Plenty," the addressed began, "but you're bored. Let's go somewhere we _both_ like. I can always come here with Raven or Dick later." Roy tried to argue that he could stand twenty minutes in a bookstore, but Garth would have none of it. "Let's just get dinner, okay?"

Roy shrugged knowing a lost battle when he saw it. "The usual place?" he suggested, meaning of course, the infamous pizza place Titans Central had recommended while Titans East briefly took over in Jump.

For the first time that night, Garth's smile faded. "No…that place has too many…memories."

Roy thought of their first day as protectors of Jump City. Control Freak and his stupid challenges. They'd eaten there that day too, hadn't they? Roy could remember it so clearly. All of them were depressed because no one in Jump knew them. He remembered how Garth had asked the waiter if any animals were harmed in the making of the pizza. Roy had snickered, while Karen, the "mature" one, assured Garth that the cows used to make the cheese were just fine. It was the only normal part of that day, even with Mas and Menos speaking English.

"You know," began Garth softly, startling Roy out of his thoughts, "it happened right over there. When Control Freak zapped himself out of the TV and Bee beat him up…it was right over there at that street corner." Roy didn't like this. Garth was still smiling, but the look in his eyes…it was empty. Like at the funeral. Roy quickly grabbed Garth's hand and led him away from the area.

"There's a restaurant over there," he pointed out, "let's just eat there." He pulled on Garth's arm, coaxing the other to move. The Atlantean let out a deep sigh and nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

Considering their luck, Roy really shouldn't have been surprised that the restaurant he'd arbitrarily picked specialized in seafood. The waiter came over with a live lobster to prove just how "fresh" their meal would be, and Garth lost it. He berated the poor, innocent civilian, calling him a murderer and "an enabler of an oppressive system." Roy wasn't sure whether to laugh or lie down and die. He chose to laugh.

"It's not funny, Roy!" cried Garth, gesturing to the petrified waiter, still holding the lobster. "Just look at her! They even rubber-banded her claws shut!"

"Her?" Roy questioned incredulously, still grinning. "How can you tell?"

"Oh, well, you see these appendages on her thorax—"

It was about this time that the owner came out to see what all the ruckus was. Within thirty seconds of assessing the situation, the man promptly kicked Roy and Garth "the fuck out of his restaurant" in his own so eloquent phrasing.

And that was how the couple ended back on the street plus one assuredly female lobster.

They began walking aimlessly again. Roy rolled his eyes fondly as he watched the other settle the lobster securely against his chest. Unable to hold Garth's hand, he wrapped an arm around his shoulders instead.

"Kicked out of four places in one night? We're on a roll here, babe. We might even be able to set a record."

"We should tell the others. They'll be proud." Roy sighed.

"I'm really blowing this whole date thing, aren't I?" Garth stopped suddenly upon hearing that.

"No! That's not true! I'm having fun! It's great!" Roy just raised an eyebrow. Garth sighed, his face falling. "Well, it doesn't matter, because…" With another sigh, he took a seat on the nearby curb. Roy followed his lead. "Remember, sometimes back in Steel, Karen and Mal would go on dates?" Roy nodded. "Well, one night, I asked her about it. She explained that 'a date' is part of a human courtship ritual, and it has two main purposes: first to get to know and assess each other as possible partners, and second…to spend time with each other. Well, I…" Roy couldn't help but notice the flush on the Atlantean's cheeks. "I've been on a team with you for almost a year now, Roy…I already know almost everything about you." The blush increased in intensity. "W-Well," he stammered out, "at least I think I do! (Certainly enough to evaluate you as a…possible partner) And that means, I'm really only on this date to spend time with you. So even if we _are_ being kicked out of fish slaughterhouses…as long as it's with you…it's okay!"

Roy just sat there mesmerized for a moment before smiling warmly. "You're a real piece of work; anyone ever tell you that?" Before Garth could ever begin to respond, Roy was kissing him. Gentle and chaste, the archer pulled his companion closer, letting Garth's scent wash over him. The soft feel of his lips was perfection, as was the way the Atlantean melted into him. Maybe he didn't know for sure if he really loved Garth or if it was a response to trauma, but maybe it didn't matter. Even if this feeling wasn't "real," as long as he felt it, wasn't that enough?

Roy was snapped out of his musings and their blissful kiss by the very real feeling of a lobster pinching the skin of his stomach. He cried out, forcing the crustacean back into Garth's arms.

"Fuck," he groaned, rubbing the newly-forming welt. "Figures, our first legitimate kiss as a couple, and it's ruined by a lobster." He sighed as the Atlantean looked away sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'll have to get used to shit like this if I'm in it with you for the long haul, right?"

Violet eyes widened as Garth realized the true implications of Roy's words. "Roy…" he murmured in awe, "you…you mean…"

"Yeah," the archer cut in, "I do." Without any warning, Garth threw his arms around Roy desperately, holding onto the redhead like his life depended on it.

"Roy, I love you," he managed when no other words would come. "I love you so much!"

Roy closed his eyes, reveling in the fact that Garth loved him. He wasn't ready to return the sentiment to that degree, not just yet, but he knew, in time, he would be. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Garth just as fiercely and murmured, "I know. I know, and that makes me very happy." It wasn't the undying declaration of love he was waiting for, but Garth appreciated it just the same.

Then Roy remembered the very real danger that was the arthropod lurking between them. "Garth," he called, "as much as I hate to ruin this…_lobster_." The Atlantean shot up, quickly wrangling the escaped creature back into his arms. "Anyway," the redhead continued, brushing a hand across Garth's forehead, cheeks, and neck, "you're starting to feel warm again. We should get you to some water." Garth nodded.

"Yeah, we can bring Wendy back where she belongs while we're at it."

"…You named the lobster Wendy."

"Well I can't ask her for her actual name; I don't have my telepathy."

"Yeah but…you know what, just never mind." Roy stood, helping his date up as well. "Let's head to the pier."

The two remaining members of Titans East could see the ocean just over the horizon as it shimmered in the light of dusk, and in that moment, despite his fever, his mutating powers, and everything he'd lost, Garth was certain that he had never seen anything so beautiful. If only Garth had had his powers at that time. He would have heard the ocean, heard its warning and felt its panic. If the sea had a voice it would be crying, "_Don't come, Garth of Shayeris. Please don't come. They're waiting for you here. It's a trap." _Unfortunately, the Atlantean heard none of this. He and Roy headed towards the bay hand-in-hand, none the wiser of the danger that lay ahead.

Meanwhile, in Titans Tower, Robin was continuing with his research on the Machtlos. He and Raven decided to speed up their efforts since the events of that morning. He knew his friend was likely buried in spellbooks, trying to find a mystical solution to their problem. Dick was on the scientific front, searching desperately through X-Rays of Garth and medical journals on Atlantean physiology, looking for any scrap of information he could find. So far, it wasn't yielding any results.

Robin sighed in frustration, burying his face in his hands. "Maybe it's time to enlist Bruce…"

"I'd get on that real quick if I were you, kid." Robin shot out of this chair, birdarang out as he turned towards the source of the voice.

There he was, hanging from the ceiling, his costume in shreds, and nursing a bad leg and injured arm: Red X.

"X," Robin snarled, "how'd you bypass security?"

Red X shrugged. "You would know. After all, you built the suit." The thief dropped to the ground, but his injured leg gave out on him, and he stumbled. He tried to catch himself, but his arm gave out as well. He collapsed to the ground.

Robin didn't want to admit he was worried, but knelt down beside the ailing criminal nonetheless. "X, what the hell's going on? What happened to you?"

"No time for stories, kid. We've got trouble." Robin's eyes narrowed. "I've been doing some snooping. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't want you hurt, kid, or your friends. You're all good kids, and I do owe you for the suit." The boy wonder had an incredible urge to punch Red X in the face for that last remark, but he held himself at bay and let the thief continue. " I found out everything. Had to pull some strings, call in some favors, and interrogate some important guys, but it was worth it, Though, I'm gonna be on Lex Luthor and Black Mask's respective shit lists for the rest of my life for some of the stunts I pulled." Robin sighed, rolling his eyes.

"If what you say if true, and you help save me friends, I'll pull some strings of my own and get Mask and Luthor off your back." Red X smirked under the mask.

"That's great, kid, but we'll worry about that later. Right now, we need to get your Titans East buddies into hiding." Robin nearly dropped Red X upon hearing this.

"What?" he shouted. "Why?!"

"I found our perp, and my hunch was right. It's Darkseid. The one who orchestrated the attack on Titans Tower in Steel was Darkseid." Robin was an iota away from panic mode. Rule number one of so-called "side-kicker-y:" no heavy hitters. Darkseid was the heaviest hitter. The one who only Superman could handle. The one who whenever Batman and the League got involved with, Robin was not allowed to even indirectly affect the mission. Robin would sooner go up against every resident of Arkham Asylum at once.

And this monster attacked his friends.

"Why?" Robin asked more to himself than anyone. "Why attack Titans East? If he wanted to shake up the Justice League, why not come here too? Why not go for me? I have a closer relationship with Superman than Speedy or Aqualad, so why—?" Red X shook his head.

"He's not doing this to piss of the League, Robin. You _know_ Darkseid. You _know_ he'd never risk his own assets for something so trivial. He's planning something big. I don't know what it is yet, but I already don't like it." The fact that Red X called him by his name was enough to make the boy wonder nervous.

"What about Aqualad and Speedy?"

Robin could practically _hear _the grimace on Red X's face as he uttered, "They're in more danger than anyone."

***CLIFFHANGER! Oh shit, son! Yeah, I didn't proofread all that well, so I hope I didn't miss any major mistakes. I hope you guys liked it! And hopefully, if a miracle happens, I'll have the next chapter up soon. SO MUCH LOVE!**


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